ICANN Publishes Initial List of Evaluated RSPs for 2026 Round
02-Feb-2026
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Source : The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
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LOS ANGELES - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has published an initial list of organizations participating in the Registry Service Provider (RSP) Evaluation Program to support applicants in the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The list includes organizations that have cleared both technical screening and technical testing, as well as those that have cleared technical screening but are still in the process of clearing technical testing, a press release stated by the Corporation.
ICANN requires additional time to publish the RSP, Internationalized Domain Name Services, and additional Registry Services applications to the List of Evaluated RSPs. These applications are expected to be published in early March 2026.
RSPs offer critical backend technical services to top-level domain registries. The RSP Evaluation Program ensures that entities applying for gTLDs, some of which do not have the technical capacity to run backend services, have access to qualified professional providers. All gTLD applicants must specify which RSPs will deliver critical registry services if their application proceeds to delegation, either in their initial application or just before Applicant and Application Evaluation as outlined in the 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook.
A second RSP evaluation period will coincide with the new gTLD application round, expected to open on 30 April 2026. The List of Evaluated RSPs will be updated on an ongoing basis as ICANN continues to test and qualify providers.