Businesses and organizations in Scotland may soon be able to use a country-specific top level domain name for their websites, it has been reported.
The UK government has approved the launch of a .scot generic top level domain (gTLD), freeing the way for an application to be submitted to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Potential gTLD owners have until the end of this week to register with the internet watchdog, and then until April 2012 to submit their application.
At present, if Scottish websites want to use a localized domain name, they need to obtain a .co.uk country code top level domain.
SNP party leader Alex Salmond, the Scottish First Minister, said obtaining a .scot gTLD would provide independence on the internet for the country.
“The dotScot domain name will be a great boost in promoting Scotland around the globe,” he commented.
A referendum on full Scottish independence from the United Kingdom is set to be staged in 2014, with the SNP leading the calls for a full break from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.