D3 launches fresh TLD pre-order platform Frontier

Firm aims to determine demand for TLDs, and help connect early registrants with participating registries.

Domain firm D3 has launched Frontier, a platform that could help registrants get first dibs on fresh top level domains when they begin to roll out.

Through Frontier, D3 hopes to identify which TLDs will be most popular and help registrants get domains on those TLDs ahead of they’re generally available.

To facilitate this, users pledge Frontier points in two phases.

First, they pledge points at the TLD level to show which extensions interest them most.

Later, name-level selection will open for participating TLDs. At that point, a user selects a second level domain, commits points, and sets a first-year registration price they’re willing to pay for the domain.

If the user who submitted the most points for a second level domain has posted a price that meets or exceeds the registry’s ask for the domain, the domain will be awarded to that user at that price following Sunrise. Otherwise, it goes to the next higher point-committer until it finds one that meets the registry’s asking price. (It’s a double-blind system; the registry doesn’t see the “bids” ahead of submitting the minimum it will accept.)

D3 calls this period following Sunrise the Frontier Registration Period. It is designed as a Limited Registration Period under the ICANN startup process and occurs only following all required Sunrise allocations and registrations are completed. The idea is that the Frontier period would take place ahead of any Early Access Phase and general availability.

Users earn points for signing up, depositing crypto at various third-party vaults, and potentially through other actions, like referrals.

As of this morning, the top extension by far is .agent, which has captured 64% of all points. Unsurprisingly, given the crypto tie-in, many crypto-related domains such as .sol, .mask, and .sui make the top ten.

It’s notable to note that the registries that will end up operating these TLDs have not necessarily agreed to work with the Frontier platform at this point. During the first phase, Frontier hopes to identify where demand is highest.