Best Practices for Your gTLD Registry Operations

ICANN’s New gTLD Next Round application window officially closed on August 12, 2026, bringing in over 1,600 primary applications (alongside 1,100+ backup string choices). With thousands of potential new extensions, the market will soon become significantly more competitive. For applicants, the focus shifts from submission to operational readiness.

To pass ICANN’s evaluation phase and build a sustainable business post-delegation, registry operators need to get four things right: 

1. Security & Stability

Registry stability is a core ICANN requirement. Your Registry Services Provider (RSP) delivers the foundational infrastructure for your TLD, and ICANN will confirm whether your back-end provider is approved to handle core functions like DNS routing and registration data management.

Two security features are non-negotiable for any registry:

DNS Abuse Mitigation tools automatically monitor, detect, and neutralize threats like phishing, malware, botnets, and pharming, protecting your gTLD’s reputation and keeping your namespace trusted across the global registrar network. 

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection strategies ensure your registry can absorb high traffic volumes and handle query loads without interruption, keeping zone file resolution fast and stable when under pressure. 

2. Growth & Scalability 

Successful registry operators design their business models to scale from day one. Tactics to help include:

• Sophisticated Pricing Engines: Fixed pricing limits growth. Use tiering to segment premium and standard domains, manage promotions, and define clear, long-term renewal policies to maximize revenue.
• EPP Extensibility: Make sure your Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) layers can handle rapid spikes in registration volume during general availability launches without causing backlogs or system latency, which could cause system timeouts and order failures.

3. Registrar Partnerships

Registry operators cannot sell directly to the public per ICANN’s rules; long-term success depends on building strong relationships within the global registrar ecosystem, and having programs in place for registrar onboarding and channel marketing from the start. 

Onboarding should be as frictionless as possible. Identity Digital’s Unified Wallet connects you to 2,000+ registrars from day one. We handle billing, payments and invoicing, sending your revenue share shortly after each month closes.

For channel marketing, consider setting aside market development funds (MDF) for joint campaigns with registrars. Joint campaigns push visibility at the point of sale, where domain purchase decisions happen. 

4. Compliance

Non-compliance with ICANN requirements can result in formal breach notices or contract termination. Confirm your operational policies align with ICANN's 2026 Base Registry Agreement, particularly around registry data protection and security monitoring.

Your Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) infrastructure must comply with global data frameworks like GDPR, balancing public accountability with robust personal data privacy protections.

Getting it Right from the Start

Technical and strategic preparations don’t stop at application. Working with an experienced RSP through ICANN’s evaluation phase puts you in the best position for a successful launch, and the people involved are a key part of that. 

Identity Digital Director of RSP Sales Patrick Donaldson emphasizes that human relationships remain the backbone of registry operations:

"When operating a registry, relationships are key. The intersection between the relationships with staff, your registrar channel, policy-makers like ICANN, and other industry partners allows us to make sense of the complexities behind the scenes before and during a user's domain name journey. Take the time to get it right."

Identity Digital manages 470+ TLDs and holds ICANN pre-approval as a Main, DNS, and DNSSEC RSP for the Next Round. Operating at the intersection of high-availability cloud technology and commercial strategy, our team focuses on empowering registry owners through AI-powered revenue optimization, robust DNS abuse defenses, and direct access to the global registrar ecosystem. We’ve helped operators build sustainable registry businesses across every type of TLD. 

Contact us at rsp@identity.digital or visit identity.digital to find out how we can support your operations.