Month: May 2026

Ten years on, the internet opens up again with the arrival of a new round of ICANN domains

Posted on by bernat.lleonart

This year is a complete one for the .barcelona domain. We’re celebrating ten years on the internet, a decade when we have accompanied hundreds of companies, projects and communities that have opted for Barcelona as their digital address. Yet this anniversary coincides with a very special moment for the whole ecosystem of domain names: for the first time in a decade, the ICANN is opening up to new domains.

The .barcelona domain started life ten years ago

The last time the ICANN opened up to the creation of new generic domains (gTLD) was in 2012. That process led to more than 1,200 new extensions, including domains such as .bmw, geographical domains such as .berlin, and themed domains such as .shop and .eco. And of course, .barcelona, which marks its tenth anniversary this year.

That round transformed the internet. It showed that the network could be more diverse, more local and more representative of the global reality.

New window in 2026

On 30 April 2026, the ICANN officially opened the application period for the new round of the new gTLD programme. The window will be open until 12 August 2026, and any organisation, company, government, community or association can present their candidacy to manage a new domain extension.

The goal of this new round is to continue expanding and diversifying the internet domain name system, fostering competence, inclusion and the representation of communities with no presence until now on the internet. For the first time, applications in non-Latin alphabets are being accepted, a step to make the internet more accessible around the world.

How does the process work?

The ICANN has published the Applicant Guidebook, with full information on the whole process: requisites, assessment, resolution of conflicts between candidacies and contractual conditions with the ICANN.

All this information can be found on the official page newgtldprogram.icann.org.

A forward-looking anniversary

The tenth anniversary of the .barcelona domain is a significant moment. It reminds us of where we come from and inspires us to keep working for Barcelona to have a strong and visible digital presence around the world. The internet is growing again. And we’re there.

You can find all the information from this article at www.icann.org.

Meeting point: CENTR Jamboree in Berlin

Posted on by bernat.lleonart

DENIC, the organisation that manages the de. domain, gave a presentation in Berlin to introduce the CENTR Jamboree, the annual gathering bringing together workgroups for European top-level domains, ccTLDs and associated members.

This year’s Jamboree was particularly important for the .barcelona domain: the team from Accent Obert, which manages the .cat and .barcelona domains, presented its international research project funded by ICANN Grants and putting the .barcelona domain and 10 other geoterritorial domains at the centre of current debate: how does AI affect the online visibility of geoterritorial domains?

The great change in internet searches

The project aims to respond to a question that is causing increasing concern in the sector: in an environment where internet searches are no longer just Google, Bing and DucakDuckGo, but also ChatGPT, Claude, Mistral and other AI systems, are territorial domains still visible?

So far, positioning efforts have focused on traditional search engines. Yet the eruption of language models and generative searches are changing the rules of the game. When somebody asks AI “what’s the best pizzeria in Barcelona?”, do websites with .barcelona domains appear? Are they treated the same as other domain extensions such as .com and .es?

These are the questions that this project aims to address.

How does the research work?

The investigation has two main lines of analysis:

  • Assessment of traditional search engines: how geoTLDs are indexed and positioned in conventional search engines.
  • Assessment of AI environments: how AI systems treat geoterritorial domains when responding to questions from users.

In addition, all the methodology uses open-source reusable software, meaning that other domains can adapt it and continue the research beyond this project.

The presentation of the CENTR Jamboree was by Beatriz Guzmán and Josep Masoliver, from the Accent Obert team.

Why is it important for you as a .barcelona domain holder?

If you have a .barcelona domain, the results of this research affect you directly. Understanding how search engines and AI treat geoTLDs can help you decide and act in connection to your domain: learning to treat content so that your page is more visible to both traditional search engines and AI models, enabling you to adapt to how users currently conduct searches on the internet.

We will provide updates on the progress of the project. Because the future of the internet is decided every day, and the .barcelona domain is present.

Discover the new website bringing together all the city’s museum options

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This strategic project starts life with the aim of becoming the definite digital reference point for the city’ s heritage, addressing the current dispersion of information and offering for the first time a unique access point to the activity of over sixty museums, exhibition centres and heritage spaces.

The new museus.barcelona website brings together municipal, consortium and private facilities all in one place, breaking down administrative barriers to focus on user experience.

An active and dynamic cultural gatekeeper

The museum website has been designed to function as a specialised cultural agenda and point of reference. The platform allows users to intuitively browse temporary exhibitions, permanent collections and specialised family activities at city museums. It also operates as the backbone for the ICUB’s heritage programmes. Events such as ‘Museum Night’, the festival ‘Barcelona Dibuixa’, ‘Museu Endins’ and the special programmes for Christmas, Summer and La Mercè have their own centralised space. This means that once the specific campaigns are over, the information is retained structurally and not lost on temporary websites.

To guarantee quality and relevance, the website has a content generation and management team devoted to gathering information daily, ensuring that the agenda is a reliable and trustworthy source for the general public and cultural promoters alike.

Follow the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2026 on its .barcelona website

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This summer sees Barcelona host one of the most prestigious and outstanding professional cycling events in the world. On the website, letour.barcelona, you can find all the latest relating to the event in four languages: Catalan, Spanish, English and French. The website offers detailed information on the three stages in Catalonia, on 4,5 and 6 July 2026, with maps, altitude meters and technical data, plus a historical look at previous occasions when the Tour has passed through Catalonia.

The site also has specific sections on the three Catalan cities taking a prominent role in this edition: Barcelona, Tarragona and Granollers, with practical content and information on culture, tourism and access for visitors. Finally, in the section on the latest developments, you’ll find news relating to the preparations for the Tour and activities being carried out in the areas involved.

Registration open for volunteers

You’ll also find a registration form on the website to provide support for the organisers and inform people during the event. To take part, you need to be at least 16, speak Catalan, Spanish or French, and attend a training session. Each volunteer can choose the stage, municipality and availability.