ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is set to expand upon the number of official domain name suffixes.

The move will see the current list of 22 endings increase drastically as they begin to allow generic top-level domains (gTLDs) to end in pretty much any word imaginable, from any language. So in future, rather than the usual .com, .net and .orgs, we could be seeing the likes of .essex and .football.

Purchasing such bespoke endings will be costly, around £114,000 to make an application for them, but it is thought many companies will deem the expense worth it to expand their online presence.

"ICANN has opened the Internet's addressing system to the limitless possibilities of the human imagination," said Rod Beckstrom, ICANN's President and Chief Executive Officer. “No one can predict where this historic decision will take us."

Applications can be made any time after 12 January 2012. However, as well as the significant costs, applicants will have to undergo a rigorous process before they receive approval for their desired gTLD.

"Using a real estate analogy, it would be roughly the equivalent of getting approval to build a sky scraper,” said Bruce Tonkin, Chief Strategy Officer at domain registry service, Melbourne IT. "The concern that some people have is that the standards of these buildings will be so high, that they will never get built. It will be too expensive," he said.

Triple X marks the spot

Approval has also recently been gained for .xxx domain endings. The main concept behind this gTLD is to provide a recognised home for adult content on the web, enabling those who wish to do so to block such sites, although it is far from clear whether all adult websites will move over to the new ending. Another objective is to create a safer environment where browsers will be able to access adult sites without fear of their computers being infected by malware.

For trademark owners, domains will be available from September 2011. Anyone else can register one from December onwards.