DNS is the short term for Domain Name System. In plain English: Giving information location that has a number a name. DNS is an internet related invention, which will expand the next 5 years to other areas of digital communication. Visual phone numbers and bank numbers will soon be a curiosity of the past. Everything will be named.

There are three reasons for this breakthrough. First the superiority of names above numbers. Second the static function of a dynamical name system. Third the fact that the DNS system is a global functioning system.

First: People don't have really any affection at all with numbers. Numbers are cold and emotionless. People have affection with names. Maybe the reason for this is that the number culture is very young. Maybe the reason for this is, is the same reason why the number culture is young: People don't like numbers. Our brains are historical (or even more: in nature) more name than number adapted. The reasons are even not important: The "numbers becoming names" development is not stoppable.

Second: Named numbers are better dynamically configurated by the users. Telecom operators must already facilitate number owning from new customers who wants to keep their old number. Bank operators must already do the same. In both cases the number is not yet in ownership by the user. Governments has forced these industries to ensure number portability. A system where the name is really owned by the user and the user can (by themselves or by hired specialist) configure the name to the requested numbers. This system will have a mayor impact on the operator/user relation. Users can leave operators instantly. User contracts longer than a month will not longer be accepted by users.

Third: The fact that the DNS system is a global functioning system has many benefits. In a high speed globalizing economy this is a mayor benefit. Where ever someone of some company moves: Their contact information by name will always be the same. This development stimulates already the move from the knowledge industry from the old world to cheaper rising countries, because the customers cannot see the location from the name.

DNS will really breakthrough by the integration of G3 cellular phone devices. Real G3 phones (not the G2 phones with a little G3 technology) will not have no number keyboard at all, but a full phone size LCD screen. Initiating communication will be done by build in microphone or by touching the on-screen menu. These development will end the number culture definitively. Domain names will function as universal bridge between GPRS/G3/G4 networks. The Amsterdam Internet Exchange has already made a (non global) bridge between the Internet and the dutch telco operators by bringing a local .gprs toplevel alive for cross network exchanges. These local solutions are needed because the ICANN is not doing the only thing they are hired for (creating and maintaining domain space), but are busy with many other semi-important issues.

The DNS development has no longer to ignore some problems that need to be solved. First is there the issue of to much USA influence. Second the issue of to much influence of current market parties. Third the issue of malfunctioned management of the current licensed DNS operating organization ICANN. The complex of all these three facets gives a situation where intra- and extra national regions can not create their region presence in the new digital communication streams.

First: The issue of USA dominance: The global DNS system is for 100% owned by and for 90% operated by and in the USA. The USA uses this situation to expand their global empire in a way never seen before. Even no war, political scenario, or development support has ever had such an impact in current world as lack of competition for the mostly by USA companies owned .com toplevel. The world is more than USA culture and business and other countries must challenge the USA to bring the DNS system out of the USA influence. The USA will never do this by themselves and they are not to blame for this either. Nobody will give away on own initiative a winning game, so the USA is nothing to blame. Governments of Europe, Africa and Asia are to chicken to demand rational to explain things from the USA.

Second: The issue of to one sided influence of current market parties: The current DNS policies are not focused op extending the internet population or stimulation of internet diversity. Markets parties with current good DNS positions do everything to prevent top level domain freedom and internet name diversity. According Easyjet they own globally the sentence "easy". According Amex (American Express) they own globally the sentence "express". The absence of a global brand law makes all these claims illegal, but it's regular practice. Nobody is concerned about the situation that > 1.000.000.000 people in China must share just one top level domain or just one top level for > 1.000.000.000 people in India. This artificial shortage gives big problems. Problems which are always won by the biggest party. These "rights" business is expanding both on the offending side as on the defending site (www.not-unique.net). The interest of regular non fighting users are severely damaged.

Third: The issue of malfunctioned management by the current DNS authority ICANN: The have proven to be incapable to lead the DNS system out of USA dominance. The have proven to maintain artificial shortage. They have proven to create conflict systems that prejudiced big parties above small parties. They have proven not to believe in a global spreaded infrastructure of root servers. They have proven not to capable of increasing DNS security. They have proven not been able to prepare and facilitate the coming name explosion by mobile communication. They have proven to believe in an expensive shortness (a simple database record costs in 2002 still $ 7 till $ 35 per year and that's a lot for some bytes in an online memory with a cost price of $ 0.0001) instead of low priced for every individual (not only corporations) accessible domain name system. The three things most members of these "world internet governmental" board of 19 people are mainly interested in are: Travelling. Declarations. Attention. Only some of these 19 people are ever caught with an original idea. The complete structure is mostly focused on avoiding changes.

Companies are interested in their own top level domain. Countries want more than one top level, to make digital space for their companies and people. Regions wants their own top level domain to stimulate regional identity and cohesion. Telecom operators want to give each G3/G4 user (much more than 1.000.000.000 in five years from now). A report specific about the development of the global DNS is "THE ICANN BRIEF" (a PDF version of this report can be found on www.icann-brief.net).

DNS will become the link that brings telco's and banks together in a way where banks will get the dominant role. Telco's with own hardware networks will get more and more in serious financial problems, because there will be an explosion of transport structures. G3, G4, McPlug, CityWave and P2P (peer to peer) will cause less income by the same costs for all hardware network operators. Banks have the needed money to purchase shares of, or take over telco's for bargain prices and are very interested in mobile infrastructures. SecDNS (a DNS security system) and IP6 (an IP number availability extension) will only rise when the banks are getting involved.

The full scale extension of top level domains with the . (dot) as separator must be distributed by a not limited auction. The revenues of this auction can be used for a new Global Marshall Plan. This auction combined with a Global Marshall Plan is more specific described in "THE ICANN BRIEF".

Author: Gijs Graafland | Planck Europe

Original Planck Europe Article

Planck is dedicated to Corporate and Governmental Strategy in a Global Economy