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Submitted
by:
Dubai
Technology, Electronic Commerce and
Media Free Zone Authority
I.
GENERAL INFORMATION
A.
The full legal name, principal
address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the registry operator
(D2)
Dubai
Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority (hereinafter DTEC-MFZA).
In
the event that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
provides a positive indication in respect of the present application, DTEC-MFZA
intends to establish a new operating division known as the Dubai Internet
Domains Registration Authority (hereinafter DIDRA).
It
is intended that DIDRA will be primarily responsible for policy development and
administration, as well as the day-to-day management and operation of the New
TLDs, including the function of Registry Operator.
Contact details for
DTEC-MFZA and DIDRA for the purposes of this application are:
Attention:
Lars Olof Kanngard
P.O.
Box 73000
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
TELEPHONE:
+9714 399 8888
FACSIMILE:
+9714 399 8000
E-MAIL:
<icann@dubaiinternetcity.com>
B.
The addresses and telephone and fax numbers of all other business
locations of the registry operator (D3)
Not
applicable.
C.
The registry operator's type of business entity (e.g., corporation,
partnership, etc.) and law under which it is organized (D4)
Free
Zone Authority, with corporate status, established pursuant to Law No. 1 of 2000
of Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority.
D.
URL of registry operator's principal world wide web site (D5)
www.dubaiinternetcity.com
E.
Dun & Bradstreet DUNS Number (if any) of registry operator (D6)
Not
applicable.
F.
Number of employees (D7)
At
present, there are more than 100 personnel working for DTEC-MFZA, including
full-time staff and consultants.
G.
Registry operator's total revenue (in US dollars) in the last‑ended
fiscal year (D8)
No
revenue figures can be provided as present for DTEC-MFZA for fiscal year 1999.
However, an appreciation for DTEC-MFZA’s fiscal strength is possible
through a description of some of its principal activities since it was
inaugurated at the beginning of this year.
In
advancement of its objectives and acting upon its mandate, DTEC-MFZA’s most
significant initiative to-date is the establishment of Dubai Internet City
(hereinafter DIC).
DIC is a USD700 million-technology
infrastructure project sponsored and underwritten by the Dubai Government.
The
initial operating capital for DIDRA will be provided by DTEC-MFZA and the Dubai
Government, as has been the case with the other operating divisions of DTEC-MFZA.
It is to be noted that DTEC-MFZA is fortunate to benefit from the
considerable oil wealth and financial resources at the disposal of the Dubai
Government and the Government’s strong commitment to the success of DTEC-MFZA.
A
provisional allocation of USD35 million for the next three years has been
made by DTEC-MFZA solely for the technical infrastructure build-out of DIDRA.
Upon the commencement of negotiations with ICANN regarding the New TLDs,
DIDRA will develop and have approved a provisional operating budget.
Thereafter, a formal budgetary procedure will be established.
H.
Full names and positions of (i) all directors, (ii) all officers, (iii)
all relevant managers, and (iv) any persons or entities owning five percent or
more of registry operator (D9)
In
accordance with Article 4 of Law No. 1 of 2000, at present, DTEC-MFZA’s
organizational structure consists of a:
Chairman
– The Chairman is appointed by the Ruler of Dubai and has supervisory
responsibilities relating to DTEC-MFZA. The
Chairman has the authority to issue rules and regulations necessary for the
operation and administration of DTEC-MFZA, as well as the power to enforce Law
No. 1 of 2000. (See Article
5.). The current Chairman of
DTEC-MFZA is H.H. Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Minister of Defence of
the United Arab Emirates.
Director
General – The Director General is also appointed by the Ruler of
Dubai and is responsible for the administration and management of
DTEC-MFZA, under the supervision of the Chairman. In addition, the
Director General is responsible for representing DTEC-MFZA in its
relations with third parties.
Executive
Body – The Executive Body is responsible for the day-to-day
administration and operations of DTEC-MFZA. The Executive Body
currently consists of three operating divisions, as follows:
·
Dubai
Internet City;
·
Dubai
Media City; and
·
Dubai
Incubator Oasis.
An
organizational chart showing the legal structure of DTEC-MFZA appears on the
next page.
I.
Name, telephone and fax number, and e-mail address of person to
contact for additional information regarding this proposal. If there are
multiple people, please list all their names, telephone and fax numbers,
and e-mail addresses and describe the areas as to which each should be
contacted (D10)
Attention:
Lars Olof Kanngard
P.O.
Box 73000
Dubai
United
Arab Emirates
TELEPHONE:
+9714 399 8888
FACSIMILE:
+9714 399 8000
E-MAIL:
icann@dubaiinternetcity.com
J.
The full legal
name, principal address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address, and
Dun & Bradstreet D‑U‑N‑S Number (if any) of all
subcontractors identified in item D15.3 below (D11)
Network
Solutions Inc. (VeriSign Global Registry Services Division)
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon,
VA 20170
USA
Contact Person:
Tephone:
Facsimile:
E-mail:
II.
BUSINESS CAPABILITIES AND PLAN
A. Company Information - Date
of formation, legal status, primary location, size of staff, formal
alliances, references, corporate or other structure, ownership structure
(D13.1.1)
DTEC-MFZA
was established in January 2000, pursuant to Law No. (1) of 2000 of Dubai
Technology, Electronic Commerce & Media Free Zone (signed in to law by
His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Ruler of the Emirate of
Dubai) (hereinafter Law No. 1 of 2000).
Article
3(b) of that Law provides as follows:
“There
shall be established by this Law… a corporate entity known as Dubai
Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority, which shall be
financially and administratively independent and may sue and be sued in this
capacity. Its main premises shall be in the Free Zone, and it shall be part of
the Government.”
The
Authority’s principal location is the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab
Emirates.
As
spelled out in Article 8 of Law No. 1 of 2000, the objectives of DTEC-MFZA
are:
to
develop strategies and policies geared towards promoting Dubai as a center for
technology, e-commerce and media;
to advise the
Government of Dubai in connection with the development of appropriate laws and
regulations relating, inter alia, to data protection, the protection of
intellectual property rights, cyber-crime, the establishment of a university
and research center relating to the Internet, and regarding the relations
between the other free zone’s in Dubai.
B.
Current Business Operations - Core capabilities, services offered,
products offered, duration of provision of services and products (D13.1.2
and 13.1.3)
In
advancement of its objectives and acting upon its mandate, DTEC-MFZA’s
most significant initiative to-date is the establishment of Dubai Internet
City (hereinafter DIC).[1]
DIC is a USD700 million
technology infrastructure project sponsored and underwritten by the Dubai
Government,[2]
with the following mission:
To
provide an infrastructure, environment and attitude that will enable New
Economy enterprises to operate locally, regionally and globally from Dubai
with significant competitive advantages.
DIC
consists of a physical complex of buildings, complete with all support
mechanisms vital for IT-business. To
be operational in October 2000, the DIC building complex occupies a part
of the 325 acres of land allocated for the project and is the first of a
three-phase expansion program. However,
the physical structure forms only part of the concept of DIC.
The
technical infrastructure of DIC is being designed to world-class standards of
capacity, reliability, costs and service levels.
In July 2000, DTEC-MFZA awarded the first major contracts for the
building of a state-of-the-art technical infrastructure for DIC to Siemens
Business Systems, Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems. These companies are presently designing, building and will
eventually operate advanced systems in four key areas of DIC’s operational
infrastructure, including a data center, telecommunications and network
infrastructure, Internet connectivity and ISP infrastructure and billing
solutions. Thus, businesses operating out of DIC will be able to rely on and
utilize the most advanced and innovative technological solutions, high
bandwidth, low cost telecom infrastructure, redundant connections to Internet
primary backbone providers and secure high speed support infrastructure.[3]
Dubai
Media City (DMC),
another of DTEC-MFZA’s currently established operating divisions, will be
one of the primary beneficiaries of this infrastructure.
The purpose behind DMC is to establish in Dubai the entire value chain
of media services for the Pan Arab region.
In
order to support technological innovation and advancement and to help
create the right environment for Internet commerce to flourish regionally,
DTEC-MFZA has a established USD40 million-dollar fund, to be managed by
the Dubai Incubator Oasis (DIO).
C.
Registry/database/Internet Related Experience and Activities -
Experience with database operation, Internet service provision (D13.1.4)
Because
of their unique experience with the core workings of the Internet,
DTEC-MFZA has entered into an agreement with Network Solutions Inc.
(VeriSign Global Registry Services Division) (hereinafter VeriSign),
pursuant to which VeriSign will deploy an onsite registry infrastructure
and provide critical monitoring and management services.
Primary responsibility for the proper and reliable provisioning of
the registry services will continue to lie with DTEC-MFZA through DIDRA.
VeriSign
will design and build at DTEC-MFZA’s facilities a registry
infrastructure to support the storage, generation, maintenance and
distribution of a new gTLD. Operationally,
the new registry will mirror the VeriSign Global Registry in Dulles, VA,
albeit scaled for the anticipated volume of new gTLD domain name
registrations. VeriSign will
also provide virtual registry services for the new gTLD until the onsite
registry facilities are completed, tested, and operational.
Upon
completion of the onsite registry, VeriSign will turn over day-to-day
operations to DTEC-MFZA, but will provide ongoing remote monitoring and
management of the systems and software and end-to-end system solution and
full data redundancy. Registry
related issues that cannot be handled locally would be escalated to
VeriSign through established processes and procedures. Deployment and
subsequent onsite services by VeriSign Global Registry Engineering and
Operations staff will be available as required.
As
the Internet’s leading registry, VeriSign has unparalleled experience
and knowledge in registry infrastructure and operations.
Once
in place, DTEC-MFZA will have a scalable architecture capable of
supporting the growth anticipated in the New TLDs.
The architecture and processes resulting from DTEC-MFZA’s
relationship with VeriSign will position DTEC-MFZA as a premier provider
of TLD registry services. By teaming with VeriSign, DTEC-MFZA will be
assured of a technical and service solution second to none.
For
the purposes of this application, it is important also to identify the
following critical benefits of DTEC-MFZA’s strategic alliance with
VeriSign:
·
VeriSign
has unparalleled experience in the domain name registration space;
·
DTEC-MFZA
can leverage the reputation of VeriSign as one of the premier Internet
companies to facilitate its entry into the Internet and e-commerce space;
·
DTEC-MFZA
customers can be assured of the highest reliability of any registry
service in the world;
·
VeriSign
has the financial stability to ensure DTEC-MFZA continued registry
services as DTEC-MFZA gets its New TLDs off of the ground;
·
DTEC-MFZA
has the desire and the means to extend the relationship with VeriSign
beyond that of just a service provider.
D.
Mission (D13.1.5)
DIDRA’s
mandate and mission will be to serve the global Internet community in the
most reliable, efficient, effective, transparent and professional manner
possible, consistent with the charter of the proposed TLDs (<.go>
and <.dubai>) that are the subject of this application.
E.
Management - Qualifications and experience of financial and
business officers and other relevant employees. Please address/include
past experience, resumes, references, biographies (D13.1.6)
In
accordance with Law No. 1 of 2000, the Director General of DTEC-MFZA will
appoint a Chief Executive Officer of DIDRA, upon a positive notification
from ICANN regarding the instant application.
In
the initial stages, the directors and staff of DIDRA will be shared with
the other operating divisions of DTEC-MFZA.
It is presently contemplated that the day-to-day operations in the
start-up phase of DIDRA will be managed by Mr. Lars Olof Kanngard,
Business Development Manager and Executive Project Manager for DIC, who
was also responsible for conceiving the <.go> TLD name and concept.
The
professional profiles of the principal executive staff are provided as
Attachment A.
F.
Staff/Employees - Current staff size, demonstrated ability to
expand employee base, hiring policy, employee training, space for
additional staff (D13.1.7)
As
has been the case with the establishment of the other operational
divisions, DTEC-MFZA will spare no expense in identifying and hiring
world-class business, administrative and technical professionals to manage
the administration and operations of DIDRA. Assisted by its partners, DIDRA will also design and
implement a rigorous and high-quality training program for all staff.
G. Commercial General
Liability Insurance - Address/include amount of insurance policy, provider
of policy, plans for obtaining additional insurance (D13.1.8)
Not
applicable.
H.
Business plan for the Proposed Registry Operations and Description
of Registry Services to be Provided (D13.2.1)
A
document provided to DTEC-MFZA in connection with the parties’
contractual relationship, entitled Onsite Registry Services Proposal,
is provided as Attachment B.
I.
Revenue Model - A full description of the revenue model,
including rates to be charged for various services (D13.2.2)
J. Market - Market
definition, size, demand, accessibility (D13.2.3)
K.
Marketing Plan - Advertising, publicity, promotion strategy,
advertisement development strategy, relationship with advertising firm.
Use of registrars and other marketing channels (D13.2.4)
The
principal marketing channels will be via accredited registrars.
L. Estimated Demand for
Registry Services in the New TLDs - Projected
total demand for registry services in the TLD, effect of projected
registration fees, competition. Please provide estimates for at least 10%,
50%, and 90% confidence levels (D13.2.5)
M. Resources Required to
Meet Demand - Provide a detailed estimate of all resources (financial,
technical, staff, physical plant, customer service, etc.) required to meet
the estimated demands, using at least the 10%, 50%, and 90% confidence
levels (D13.2.6)
The
above shall be provided as a part of a comprehensive business plan,
following a positive indication from ICANN regarding the present
application.
N. Plans for Acquiring
Necessary Systems and Facilities. Describe
plans for acquiring all necessary systems and facilities for providing the
proposed services at each estimated demand level. Provide details as to
the scope, cost, and vendor for any significant planned outsourcing
(D13.2.7)
The
technical backbone for DIDRA will be provided by Dubai Internet City (DIC).
The technical infrastructure of DIC is being designed to
world-class standards of capacity, reliability, costs and service levels.
In July 2000, DTEC-MFZA awarded the first major contracts,
collectively valued at some USD30 million, for the building of a
state-of-the-art technical infrastructure for DIC to Siemens Business
Systems, Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems. These companies are presently designing, building and will
eventually operate advanced systems in four key areas of DIC’s
operational infrastructure, including a data center, telecommunications
and network infrastructure, Internet connectivity and ISP infrastructure
and billing solutions. Thus, businesses operating out of DIC will be able
to rely on and utilize the most advanced and innovative technological
solutions, high bandwidth, low cost telecom infrastructure, redundant
connections to Internet primary backbone providers and secure high speed
support infrastructure
O. Staff Size/Expansion
Capability - Plans for obtaining the necessary staff resources, capacity
for expansion, hiring policy, employee training, space for additional
staff, staffing levels needed for provision of expanded technical,
support, escrow, and registry services (D13.2.8)
With
its ample resources and full commitment to the project, DTEC-MFZA will
hire and train all necessary staff to meet business requirements.
P. Availability of Additional
Management Personnel (D13.2.9)
DTEC-MFZA
has successfully retained highly qualified managerial personnel within a
short time to run its three existing operational divisions and expects
that it will be able to replicate this success without hindrance once
DIDRA is established.
Q. Term of Registry Agreement
- State assumptions regarding the term of any registry agreement with
ICANN or the sponsoring organization. Note that the .com/.net/.org
registry agreement has a basic term of four years (D13.2.10)
Four
year renewable term, based on the terms and conditions reflected in the
ICANN-NSI Registry Agreement (approved November 4, 1999, signed November
10, 1999).
R.
Expected Costs Associated with the Operation of the Proposed
Registry - Please break down the total estimated operational costs by the
sources of the costs for each estimated demand level. Be sure to consider
the TLD's share of ICANN's cost recovery needs. (D13.2.11)
The
above shall be provided as a part of a comprehensive business plan,
following a positive indication from ICANN regarding the present
application.
S. Expected Revenue Associated
with the Operation of the Proposed Registry - Please show how expected
revenue is computed at each estimated demand level (D13.2.12)
The
above shall be provided as a part of a comprehensive business plan,
following a positive indication from ICANN regarding the present
application.
T. Capital Requirements
- Quantify capital requirements in amount and timing and describe how the
capital will be obtained. Specify in detail all sources of capital and the
cost of that capital (interest, etc.). Evidence of firm commitment of
projected capital needs will substantially increase the credibility of the
registry operator's proposal (D13.2.13)
A
provisional allocation of USD35 million for the next three years
has been made by DTEC-MFZA solely for the technical infrastructure
build-out of DIDRA. Upon the
commencement of negotiations with ICANN regarding the New TLDs, DIDRA will
develop and have approved a provisional operating budget.
Thereafter, a formal budgetary procedure will be established.
U. Business Risks and
Opportunities - Describe upside and downside contingencies you have
considered and discuss your plans for addressing them (D13.2.14)
The
above shall be provided as a part of a comprehensive business plan,
following a positive indication from ICANN regarding the present
application.
V. Registry Failure Provisions
- Please describe in detail your plans for dealing with the possibility of
registry failure (D13.2.15)
See
Section II.C above. See also,
Attachment B (VeriSign Global Registry Services, Onsite Registry Services
Proposal) and Section III, infra. (VeriSign Global Registry Services,
Virtual Registry Services Information Packet).
W. Pro-forma Financial Projections -
Please provide detailed pro‑forma financial projections, consistent
with your business plan, for the demand scenarios that you estimate under
item D13.2.5. The pro-formas should show revenue and expense estimates
broken down by detailed categories and should be broken down into periods
no longer than quarterly (D13.3)
The
above shall be provided as a part of a comprehensive business plan,
following a positive indication from ICANN regarding the present
application.
III.
TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES AND PLAN
See
attached :
VeriSign
Global Registry Services
Virtual
Registry Services Information Packet
September
24, 2000
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