In an effort to promoting the Arabic electronic content, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), in cooperation with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), has worked to obtain the necessary permissions to manage the Internationalized Domain Name ".البحرين" which is the Arabic equivalent to the existing English domain (.bh).
“The Arabic language is the fastest growing on the Internet in terms of content. Arabic is also the fifth language in the world in terms of the number of speakers which is very important and reflects TRA’s keenness to provide a national domain promoting the development of websites with Arabic content.” Said TRA Acting General Director Sh. Nasser Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa.
“This initiative is the result of Ministerial Resolution No. 11 of 2018 which was published in the Official Gazette on the 18th of October 2018, stating that TRA is the official authority responsible for managing domain name operations in the Kingdom, and also the recently issued Royal Decree No. 33 of 2019 stating that TRA is the government authority responsible for registering domain names and levying collectible fees.” Sh. Nasser added.
The use of the national domain name also ensures the preservation of intellectual and commercial property rights for well-known trade makers locally and internationally. In order to diversify distribution channels and spread domain names of the Kingdom of Bahrain, TRA has adopted the (registry /registrar) model which will result in competition between authorized registrars to provide the best services including smart applications and electronic registration.
Consumers will also be able to register domain names (.bh & .البحرين) through several local and global online channels by Q3 2019 providing consumer choice and competition in the domain name market place.
Source: TRA Bahrain