Dear Samatha, Dear Kristy,
Many thanks for sending the final stats for the Applicant Support Program
(ASP) for the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round.
Compared to the 2012 Round when only 1 ASP application made it to delegation
into the DNS Root Zone , it is clearly a substantial improvement and
achievement by ICANN.org and its community ( particularly from the Sub Pro
ASP IRT members).
However, I note that there is only 1 ASP approved application from Latin
America.
This is disappointing, but not surprising, given a total lack of ICANN
approved Registrars to distribute second-level domains in those countries.
In line with ICANN.Org overriding mission, it would seem imperative, and
every effort is made, to ensure that as many as possible of these 56
Applicant Supported Entities ,over the coming years, are delegated into the
DNS Root Zone as a Top-Level Domain (TLD) Registry.
Now that the Application window and Application payment deadline is closed,
would it be possible to provide the Sub Pro ASP IRT members with further
analysis.
For complete transparency, my company, TLD. Advice Ltd, provided advice,
pro-bono support and mentoring to over a dozen ASP approved applicants. A
number were desperately seeking help in the very last few days, where it was
far too late to provide any help.
We did however encourage every ASP applicant to answer all the questions
required in TAMS , even if they were incomplete, to at least ensure that
their application was submitted.
We did also encourage ASP applicants to communicate with ICANN.org via their
TAMS ID number directly with the multiple issues they were having.
I appreciate that Reveal Day, at the very latest, will be nine weeks after
the Application window closed. This is Wednesday 14 October.
However , would it be possible to provide fellow Sub Pro IRT members with:
1. The number of fully approved ASP Applicant Entities, who submitted
an application for a TLD string.
2. The number of fully approved ASP Applicant Entities , who have now
paid their invoice for their reduced Application Fee. This would be a 75%
discount on their $227,000 application fee , less their $2000 ASP deposit
fee , namely $54750.
3. In light of the final number of 56 ASP applicants , exceeding the 45
applicant threshold, does this mean that all ASP applicants will now
receive a final 85% discount on their Application Fee. When will the
additional 10% ($22700) reduction be refunded.
4. In light of ASP Applicants not meeting the payment deadline ( within
7days after their invoice was issued ) would it be possible to extend the
payment deadline to the 30 September 23.59 UTC or will their application be
withdrawn by ICANN.org before Reveal Day.
I look forward to your thoughts.
Kind Regards,
Phil Buckingham
Founder, TLD.Advice Ltd
Email: phil(a)dotadvice.co.uk <mailto:phil@dotadvice.co.uk>
Mobile UK: 00 44 (0)7957643357
From: Samantha Mancia via SubPro-IRT <subpro-irt(a)icann.org>
Sent: 26 August 2026 15:24
To: subpro-irt(a)icann.org
Subject: [SubPro-IRT] Final 2026 Round ASP Statistics
Dear IRT Members,
We're pleased to share the final statistics for the Applicant Support
Program (ASP) for the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round.
A total of 78 ASP applications were submitted, with 56 applicants ultimately
qualifying for support. The final evaluation results are:
* 56 Fully Approved
* 3 Not Eligible for Support
* 4 Withdrawn
* 15 Terminated*
*Terminated reflects applications that remained incomplete when the ASP
System closed, in line with the closure of the gTLD application submission
period.
As you may recall, the 2012 round received three ASP applications, and one
qualified for support. For the 2026 Round, 56 applicants qualified for
support, exceeding our original planning assumption of 40-45.
As a reminder, the
<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2023/correspondence/ggp-t
eam-et-al-to-gnso-council-et-al-08dec23-en.pdf> GNSO Guidance Process (GGP)
on ASP identified a longer-term measure of success that supported applicants
account for at least 10, or 0.5%, of all successfully delegated gTLD
applications.
The final ASP statistics are available on the New gTLD Program website,
including breakdowns by geographic region and eligible entity type:
<https://newgtldprogram.icann.org/en/application-rounds/round2/asp/stats>
Applicant Support Program Statistics.
You can also read more about this milestone in Kristy's blog:
<https://www.icann.org/en/blogs/details/icann-2026-round-applicant-support-p
rogram-closes-on-a-high-note-26-08-2026-en>
https://www.icann.org/en/blogs/details/icann-2026-round-applicant-support-pr
ogram-closes-on-a-high-note-26-08-2026-en
I also want to give special thanks to the ASP IRT Sub-track. Your time,
expertise, and thoughtful engagement helped shape the ASP throughout its
development, and it's exciting to now be able to share these results with
you.
Kind Regards,
Samantha Mancia
New gTLD Program Manager
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
Office Telephone: +1 310 301 5800
www.icann.org <http://www.icann.org>
