Today, the team at ARI Registry Services decided to tread where no-one has tread before and map out the likely timeline to new gTLD delegation with batching. The exercise took some time, given that the information provided in the Applicant Guidebook is limited and there hasn’t been any specific public data made available. However, we have presented what we believe to be the likely scenario should ICANN proceed under the current batching model, assuming a first batch of 500 applications.

Below you will find the fruits of our labour—a timeline that encompasses the various moving parts and scenarios that “could” affect the path to delegation. This is just a draft, a starting point for those who have been eagerly anticipating what the future may look like. We welcome input from ICANN and the community.

Batch One Timeline – Assuming 500 Applications (Click to Enlarge / Download PDF)

The timeline is problematic. We have identified three critical issues with the “Batch 1 of 500” (assuming batch 1 can be 500) scenario currently proposed by ICANN:

1. String contention is not accounted for in the current timeline for batching, yet it must occur prior to posting the batching order on 11 July. This is required to provide certainty to all applicants as to which batch they fall into, as well as a higher degree of completeness in contention sets.

2. The Objection Period extends beyond the point at which Initial Evaluation Period of Batch 1 concludes, with potential for objections to be raised during Contract Negotiation and Pre-delegation Testing.

3. The Governmental Advisory Committee advised the Board on 17 June that advice on new gTLD applications is “not expected to be finalised before the Asia-Pacific meeting in April 2013.” As a result, GAC Advice will not be available to enable the conclusion of Initial Evaluation by mid-December as scheduled. New gTLD delegations may occur prior to GAC Advice being received by the Board.

Tomorrow we will be posting a new timeline, without any batching, for the community to review and compare.