The internet, we are told, has just gone truly global. For the first time in its history, users will be allowed to create full web and e-mail-addresses using non-Latin characters, BBC online reports Thursday.
The change has been announced by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) at its board meeting taking place in Seoul, South Korea.
According to supporters of the change, it marks a huge technological shift in the way the web works with the potential to open up access to millions of new users. Until now, anyone wanting to set up a website has been forced to include a few characters of Latin script in the address, or domain name, that they choose.
Other scripts, Chinese, Arabic or Japanese for example, can be used in the first part, but whatever language is used, the address must end with a small but very important collection of Latin alphabet characters, .com, .gov, .co.uk, .cn and so on. Without those Latin letters on the end, the website simply will not work.
At first, the change will only apply to the lesser-used group of domains known as the country codes. These are the Web addresses with endings like .uk, .cn, or .kr, for the United Kingdom, China, and South Korea for example.
Icann says it will begin accepting the first applications for these addresses, in a number of different scripts other than Latin, from 16 November. Eventually, all domain names should be available in multi-languages.
When that happens, supporters say, the world wide web, will finally live up to its name.
