Frequently asked questions
Frontier develops in stages as TLDs move from application to delegation and launch. These answers separate what members can do now from the later registration process.
Frontier provides its members an early access path to the next generation of internet names. Before new top-level domains (TLDs) reach the general market, members build Frontier Points and use them to show which extensions they want most. Points may be earned through qualifying activity with supported third-party vault providers.
When name-level selection opens for participating TLDs, members can commit points and reserve purchase funds to establish priority for eligible names during the registry’s launch process.
ICANN’s 2026 application window closed on August 12, opening the first major wave of new gTLDs since 2012. Those extensions are now moving through the ICANN process, but once an approved TLD launches, the strongest names can move quickly.
Frontier starts before launch so members can discover new extensions, build points and strengthen their position while the market is still forming, and not after public registration begins.
Frontier rewards early participation. The sooner you join, the more time you have to build points and strengthen your position before name-level selection opens. Your activity also helps show D3 which TLDs members want most, shaping where Frontier focuses its registry partnerships.
Priority is not a guarantee, but waiting may leave you behind members already building points.
Frontier is designed to put you in position to buy an eligible name before it reaches the general market. Today, you build points and signal which TLDs matter to you. Later, for participating TLDs, you can select names, commit points and authorize the purchase amount.
If your order qualifies during the registry’s launch process, Frontier uses your priority position and reserved purchase funds to complete the registration through a participating registrar.
Not yet. Frontier begins at the TLD level so members can build points and help identify the extensions with the strongest demand.
When name-level selection opens for a participating TLD, you will be able to choose the name you want, commit points, set your maximum first-year price and reserve the funds needed to purchase it. Starting now helps you enter that stage with points already built.
After ICANN publishes the applied-for strings, Frontier can give members one place to explore and support a broad range of potential new extensions. Member activity shows where real demand exists and helps D3 build registry partnerships around the TLDs members want most.
Frontier will update each TLD’s status as the ICANN process and registry participation develop. Priority registration will apply only where the registry participates and the TLD completes the required launch steps.
Frontier Points turn participation into priority. Use them now to support the TLDs you want to see in Frontier. When name-level selection opens, commit them to the names you want. If several members want the same name, the number of points committed determines who ranks first.
Frontier Points are program points, not cash: they cannot be sold, withdrawn or traded, and they do not pay the domain’s registration price. Current earning rates and any multipliers will appear in the Frontier interface or Program Rules.
The primary way to build Frontier Points is through qualifying activity with supported third-party vault providers. Points may be based on factors such as your eligible balance and how long it remains in the vault.
You may also earn points through referrals, bonus campaigns or other activities announced by D3. The Frontier app will show the current earning methods, rates, multipliers and eligibility requirements.
Frontier replaces a launch-day speed race with a defined priority ranking. Members commit points to the name, and the order with the most points ranks first. If that order meets the registry’s locked price and has sufficient purchase funds reserved, Frontier submits it through a participating registrar.
If it cannot be completed, Frontier can move to the next eligible order. You compete through the position you built, not simply through who clicks first.
Yes. When name-level selection opens, Frontier is designed to let members pursue more than one name. Each name has its own points ranking, posted price and purchase fund requirement, so you can choose where to concentrate your priority.
An order becomes ready to execute only when it meets the applicable price and has sufficient funds reserved or authorized. Program limits may apply.
You choose the first-year registration amount you are willing to pay. Frontier will not complete the order above the amount you authorize.
If your order qualifies and the registration is completed, you will pay that posted amount plus any separately disclosed registrar or processing fees. Renewal pricing and terms will be provided by the registrar and registry before renewal.
No. You deposit eligible assets directly with a supported third-party vault provider, not D3. D3 recognizes qualifying vault activity for Frontier Points but does not custody, stake, lend, invest or manage the assets.
Any return or reward comes separately from the provider under its own terms, risks, fees and withdrawal conditions. Frontier’s benefit is points and priority, not a guaranteed investment return.
Not every applied-for TLD will reach launch or participate in Frontier. Frontier starts broadly so members can show where demand exists, then updates each TLD’s status as ICANN evaluation, contention and registry partnerships develop.
If a TLD does not move forward with Frontier, it will not advance to name-level priority registration through the program. Points, deposits and expressions of interest do not create rights in that TLD or any domain name.
For complete program terms, see the Frontier Terms.
Most registries reach launch with limited visibility into who wants their names or how much demand exists. Traditional registrar marketing usually starts close to launch.
Frontier starts earlier, giving applicants and registry operators time to build a community, measure interest and prepare qualified demand while their TLDs move through evaluation, contention, contracting and delegation.
D3 fills the gap between registry operators, which have limited direct buyer visibility, and registrar channels, which generally do not build prelaunch demand for a new TLD. D3 recruits potential buyers outside the traditional registrar funnel, measures demand before launch and operates the priority and order flow for participating TLDs.
The registry retains control over its pricing, inventory, eligibility requirements and launch policies, subject to the commitments in the Frontier Participation Agreement.
The Frontier Registration Period is D3’s branded Limited Registration Period under the ICANN startup process. It converts demand built before launch into a points-ranked registration path before General Registration. It follows Sunrise and any agreed pre-Frontier phases, which may include private or eligibility-restricted phases and one EAP.
Yes. The registry may conduct any number of ICANN-compliant private or eligibility-restricted phases and, if it chooses, one EAP before Frontier, provided each is identified by the agreed deadline and permitted by the Participation Agreement. Qualifying Frontier orders receive the agreed reservation, hold and automatic-execution protections during those earlier phases, including execution on the earliest EAP day their Posted Price clears. Orders that do not complete earlier remain eligible for Frontier. The registry may also run later launch phases after Frontier.
The registry sets its launch pricing, premium pricing, eligibility rules, reserved names and covered inventory before the agreed inventory and pricing lock.
After the lock, the registry must honor the locked pricing and process executable orders for covered inventory. It may not use nonpublic Frontier demand to reprice, reclassify or remove a requested name.
Before the inventory and pricing lock, D3 provides only aggregate or de-identified TLD-level information that helps the registry understand where interest is developing. D3 does not disclose individual member identities, requested names or maximum prices before the registry commits its inventory and pricing.
At launch, the registry receives only the name and order information needed to confirm pricing, place required holds, issue authorization codes and complete eligible registrations.
Frontier is designed to move demand through clear stages, from broad TLD interest to indicated name demand and then to executable orders. Not all reported interest is capital backed.
Frontier separately reports TLD interest, gross indicated demand, executable orders supported by reserved or authorized purchase funds, and completed registration volume. Only executable orders should be treated as funded demand, and registration volume is reported only after registrations are completed.
Frontier gives a registry a head start: an audience before launch, measurable demand, ranked orders, reserved purchase funds for executable orders and a path through participating registrars.
D3 and the registry may also coordinate approved marketing as the TLD moves toward launch. The goal is to reach launch with buyers already engaged and a community that can support registrations and renewals after launch.
The registry identifies its reserved, blocked, restricted and unpriced names before the inventory and pricing lock. Names not excluded become Covered Inventory. If an agreed private phase precedes Frontier, a name may be registered during that phase, subject to the reservation protections for qualifying Frontier orders.
Any Covered Inventory that remains available must be offered during the Frontier Registration Period at the locked price. Interest in excluded or unpriced names may be handled only through a separately agreed referral or brokerage process.
Registrations are completed through participating ICANN-accredited registrars. The same technical path supports a protected Frontier order completed during an agreed private phase and orders completed during the Frontier Registration Period.
Frontier access must be available to qualified participating registrars on objective and nondiscriminatory terms. A registrar must implement the applicable Frontier API or batch process, support authorization code redemption and complete required trademark, eligibility and registrant checks.
No. Registrar marketing is optional. A registrar that wants to process Frontier orders must complete the required technical integration and registration steps.
Registrars that do promote Frontier can bring their customers into the program and may receive the resulting registrations under the applicable channel rules.
The applicant or registry operator signs the Frontier Participation Agreement, identifies the covered TLDs and any exclusions, and discloses any agreed private pre-Frontier phases by the applicable deadline.
It incorporates the launch sequence, Frontier Registration Period and any required reservation mechanics into its ICANN startup information, then provides final inventory and pricing by the agreed lock date. It must also support the agreed order files, holds, confirmed pricing, authorization codes and settlement process.
Yes. The agreement can cover the registry applicant’s current-round applications and any additional unlaunched TLDs identified in the schedule, subject to stated exclusions.
Final coverage follows the confirmed applied-for string, the ICANN process, any contention outcome and successful delegation.
These answers summarize the standard Frontier framework. The signed Frontier Participation Agreement and applicable TLD schedule control.