Non-English speakers will soon have web addresses in their own language.
The net regulator Icann has invited countries to apply for so-called "internationalised domain names", using non-Latin characters.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia have announced their intentions to apply for the first Arabic domains.
Countries can apply for domains in other scripts, such as Chinese. The first official international web addresses are expected in 2010.
"The IDN [International Domain Names] program will encompass close to one hundred thousand characters, opening up the internet to billions of potential users around the globe," said Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann).
The regulator has described the introduction of IDNs as the "biggest change" to the net "since it was invented 40 years ago".
Over half the internet users around the world don't use a Latin-based script as their native language," said Icann president Rod Beckstrom.
"IDNs are about making the internet more global and accessible for everyone."
Plans for IDNs were approved at a meeting in June 2008. However, it has taken until now to make sure that the translation system needed to make it work functions correctly.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8362195.stm