Over the last two years, the internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has been trying to introduce new generic Top-Level Domains to the Internet. The process was initially wracked by technical issues, but everyone from Apple to Google were eventually able to submit their applications for new gTLDs. Now ICANN is ready to start introducing some of these new gTLDs to the core of the Internet itself.

ICANN announced today that it has approved the first round of gTLDs that it will introduce to the Internet’s Root Zone. With this out of the way, the owners of the new gTLDs can now work on making them available to Internet users at large.

“It’s happening – the biggest change to the Internet since its inception,” said Akram Atallah, president of ICANN’s Generic Domains Division. “In the weeks and months ahead, we will see new domain names coming online from all corners of the world, bringing people, communities and businesses together in ways we never imagined. It’s this type of innovation that will continue to drive our global society.”

Interestingly enough, the first four gTLDs to be approved are all in non-Latin script. The addition of non-Latin script gTLDs was a major departure from how the Internet was previously run as Web sites in countries like China and Russia can now offer Web addresses in their native languages.

Here’s the first four gTLDs being added:

Now, sites with these gTLDs aren’t active just yet as ICANN requires the registrars to “complete a final process built into the new gTLD program to protect trademark rights holders.” This process only lasts for 30 days, however, and sites with these new gTLDs can then be opened to the public at that time.

With these four new domain names, the total gTLD count is now at 26. ICANN says that there may be over 1,400 gTLDs by the end of all this. We’ll even see gTLDs like .amazon, but it won’t belong exclusively to the retailer.

[Image: ICANNnews/YouTube]