NEW YORK (AP):

The Internet's key oversight agency relaxed rules yesterday to permit the introduction of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new Internet domain names to join '.com', making the first sweeping changes in the network's 25-year-old addressing system.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers unanimously approved the new guidelines on the final day of weeklong meetings in Paris. ICANN also voted unanimously to open public comment on a separate proposal to permit addresses entirely in non-English languages for the first time.

No decision on names

New names likely will not start appearing until at least next year, and ICANN will not be deciding on specific ones quite yet.

The organisation still must work out many details, including fees for obtaining new names, expected to exceed US$100,000 apiece to help ICANN cover up to US$20 million in costs.