MMX.L Regulatory News (MMX)

For immediate release

31 October 2012

Top Level Domain Holdings Limited

("TLDH" or the "Company")

Corporate Update and Board Change

Following a review of the progress made at the Internet Corporation for Assigned of Names and Numbers ("ICANN") 45th conference held in Toronto this month, the Board of TLDH believes that a turning point has been reached for the timetable for the implementation of the new generic top level domain ("gTLD") programme.

ICANN has proposed a new plan for prioritising gTLD applications through the steps leading to delegation. The ICANN plan sets out an assignment of priorities through the use of a draw through the purchase by each gTLD applicant of a numbered paper ticket. The tickets will be drawn and draw numbers assigned. The priority assigned to each gTLD application will be determined by the draw number and used to schedule the release of initial evaluation results, pre-delegation testing, and contract execution. The ICANN proposal seeks to complete processing of the applications in an expedited manner and the initial random draw is expected to take place in mid December 2012. The gTLD application evaluation results will be released between late March and late June 2013.

ICANN expects that approximately 20 pre-delegation testing appointments and 20 contracts will be concluded each week. The first contracts or delegations are expected to be concluded following the next ICANN meeting in Beijing in the second week of April 2013. ICANN's proposal will give priority to internationalised domain names ("IDNs"), including .购物 ("dot shopping" in Chinese characters), for which TLDH is the sole applicant. Members of ICANN's Government Advisory Committee have made clear their intention to push for the prioritisation of geographic gTLD applications, of which TLDH has several, including .LONDON. Provided that the ICANN proposed timetable is broadly adhered to, the Board of TLDH believes that a number of the Group's 17 uncontested gTLD applications on its own behalf and the 5 uncontested client gTLD applications are likely to be revenue producing in 2013, with the balance becoming so in the first half of 2014. TLDH has commenced discussions with the leading worldwide registrars, premium name specialists, and secondary market platforms for distribution of these gTLD names.

TLDH is also working with other gTLD applicant groups to define formats for private auctions and other name resolution arrangements in respect of the contested names that TLDH has applied for. The Board expects that these auctions are likely to happen in the second half of 2013.

Following the draw in December, when TLDH will learn the priority order of its gTLD applications, the Company's registry business, Minds + Machines, plans to expand its operational team. The Board has reviewed a number of possible locations for Minds + Machines operational centre and currently plans to base its core of activities in Dublin, Ireland, to support its geographic and generic gTLDs. In advance of the development of Minds + Machines European operations, the Board expects to make a number of new appointments, including further appointments of both executive and non-executive directors, to enhance and develop the Group's capabilities. As a first step in this process, Caspar von Veltheim, who has been responsible for TLDH's continental European applications in respect of .NRW and .BAYERN, will, on completion of satisfactory regulatory checks in compliance with the AIM Rules, join the Board of TLDH as an executive director with responsibility for Europe. Clark Landry, who has been a non-executive director of the Company since it was first admitted to trading on AIM, has decided to step down from the Board. The Board would like to thank Clark for his substantial contribution in the development of the Group's since admission and wish him well in his other interests and as a supportive on-going shareholder in the Company. A further announcement in respect of Caspar's appointment will be made on completion of the required regulatory checks.

For further information, please contact:

Or visit the group's website at www.tldh.org

ENDS