The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) has voted to approve plans that could see the expansion of top-level domain names.

Cities like New York and London gain their own suffixes, such as NYC and LON, it has been claimed.

Other considerations include whether top level domain names such as .gov or .com will be opened up to any combination of letters and numbers which any organisation may register.

Icann states that a report will be issued on the "fast track" of internationalised domain names for country codes and also how these will be implemented.

"New generic top level domains and internationalised domain names will open up the Internet and make it look as diverse as the people who use it," commented Peter Dengate Thrush, Icann's board chairman.

Icann stated that registering a top level domain will cost between $100,000 (£50,000) and $500,000.

It is expected that domain name applications will be accepted from April next 2009 with sites expected to go live later in the year.

Brand Republic reports that the domain name Cruises.co.uk was sold for a British record of £560,000 in February.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent)