The top-level domain (TLD) is the last segment of a domain name; it’s the letters immediately following the final dot in an Internet address. In simpler terms, it is basically the suffix of the internet address of your website. Examples of top-level domains include .com, .org, .gov, .edu, .io and so many more. These TLDs can be subdivided into two main categories: generic TLDs, such as the .com or .org, and country-code TLDs, like .us for the United States or .de for Germany.
Now, in terms of the specific top-level domain .rwe, this is actually a brand TLD. In 2011, ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) started a new program that let companies purchase their branded TLDs. ICANN is the organisation that coordinates all of the necessary identifiers across the world that keep the internet running smoothly.
The .rwe TLD belongs to RWE AG, an energy company based in Essen, Germany. RWE AG is one of Europe’s five leading electricity and gas companies and through its groundbreaking work in renewable energy, RWE AG is investing in the future of energy supply globally. Owning its personal TLD is one way RWE AG exerts control over its brand presence online, ensuring that websites using the .rwe domain are part of its officially recognized network.
As a Brand TLD, .rwe is not available for the public to register domain names underneath because it is entirely and exclusively operated by RWE AG for its own purposes. The brand TLDs stem from ICANN’s ambition to increase competition, innovation and consumer choice in the domain name space.
As for the top-level domain .rwe it is one of many brand TLDs that exist today. Other examples include .google owned by Google Inc., .amazon owned by Amazon Technologies Inc., and .bmw owned by Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW).
The primary source of information for this piece is the official ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) website (https://lookup.icann.org/) which provides detailed and accurate information about domain names and TLDs. Another source was the official website of RWE AG as it provides specific information on .rwe TLD (https://www.group.rwe/).
