A: A domain name is a string of alphanumeric characters followed by the familiar ..com., ..net., ..org. or other top-level domain. Examples include:

vooju.com.sg
sgnic.sg
ida.gov.sg
brown.edu
Redcross.org

Note that www.vooju.com.sg (with the additional 'www' in front) would not be called a domain name but a website address or, more formally, uniform resource locator (URL).

A: Internationalised domain names, or IDNs for short, are exactly the same as a normal domain name, with only 1 exception. Whilst a normal domain name is restricted to the characters, a . z, 0 . 9 and -, IDNs can contain other characters that are outside of the Roman alphabet. With IDN, domain names can now be written in many languages such as Chinese Japanese, Korean, Tamil, Arabic etc.

Examples of IDNs would be:

For the purposes of the SGNIC IDN test-bed, domain names registered will be in either Chinese or Tamil and will be followed by '.idn.sg'.

A: The test-bed launch from SGNIC is an offering of internationalised domain names that end with .idn.sg. This offering is limited to 2 languages, Chinese and Tamil. Anyone with a Singapore address can participate and register a multilingual.idn.sg domain name for the duration of the test-bed.

A: SGNIC has stated that the test-bed will be conducted for an initial period of 6 months starting from 4 July 2005 and ending on 3 January 2006.

Currently, Vooju will stop taking IDN registrations on 31 Oct 2005, as we feel that our registrants should receive at least 2 months participation in the test-bed.

We, however may consider re-opening registrations in the event that SGNIC extends the test-bed duration.

For more information, please check our website regularly.

A: The test-bed is open to individuals and organisations both here and overseas. Overseas applicants will need to have a Singapore-based contact to participate in the IDN test-bed.

A: According to SGNIC, after the test-bed period, all registered IDNs will be purged from the system. SGNIC will then assess if there is sufficient market demand to justify a commercial rollout of .sg IDNs.

A: No, the test-bed is just what it is. A registration during the test-bed period does not serve as a first-come-first-served application for any later launch.

A: For the duration of the test-bed, the registration fee is S$20.

A: To register your .idn.sg domain properly, first of all it is essential that your computer can display and type out the Chinese or Tamil characters. Windows 2000/XP users, you should have installed the necessary Windows Language Packs.
[Windows XP - Chinese IME Installation Instructions]
[Windows 2000 - Chinese IME Installation Instructions]

When you are ready, please vist this link on our webapge.

Select the language (Chinese or Tamil) and then enter the domain name of your choice in the search box and click the 'search' button.

You should use the IME and type the Chinese/Tamil characters into the box. Alternatively if you have the characters in another document, you can try cut and paste. What is important is that
(a) you can see the characters displayed properly in the search box (not showing ??? or little boxes) and that
(b) after clicking 'search' button, the next page (search result page) displays the same characters that you've entered.

Our system will then update you on the availability of the domain that you have just search.

When you have found the name that you wish to register,

• Read the terms and conditions of the trial
• Click on the agreement check box
• Click 'Apply now' button to proceed to the final stage of your registration

If you have a Vooju account, you will be prompted to login to your account. If not please proceed to sign up for a (free) Vooju account. This will allow you to complete your registration.

To complete your registration, select your payment mode(Credit Card or cheque) and fill in the registrant details in the form. Please note that for the IDN trial, you will not be able to change the details in the registrant, admin contact, technical contact and billing contacts. Please fill these in correctly.

Also note that, you require a Singapore contact address to successfully register your IDN.

Click your agreement and then click 'continue'.

Confirm your details and click 'Confirm and Submit Registration'.

After this step, you may need to carry on and complete your credit card transaction if you have selected to pay via credit card.

 
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