This, folks, is huge. It will be the subject of today's podcast, to be broadcast later today after I get some real work done. Read, comment, think, ponder this PDF press release from Neustar.

Kevin Murphy covers the story for Computerwire: "This deal draws on both the telephony and DNS aspects of NeuStar’s business, but it’s not actually a part of the regular internet DNS. 'It’s related to the DNS, but it’s a private tree,' said Eugene Lew, the company’s vice president of advanced services. It’s DNS, but not ‘the’ DNS.' NeuStar will operate a private root DNS server system serving the .gprs suffix, which will only be usable by participating GSMA member companies."

From a mailing list: "ICANN continues to lose market share."

ICANN's ICP-3: "Over the past several years, some private organizations have established DNS roots as alternates to the authoritative root. Some uses of these alternate roots do not jeopardize the stability of the DNS. For example, some are purely private roots operating inside institutions and are carefully insulated from the DNS. Others are purely experimental in the best traditions of the Internet and are carefully managed so as not to interfere with the operation of the DNS. These both operate within community-established norms." (emphasis added). What's Neustar doing?

And what will the folks who run .GP think?

P.S. As previously disclosed, I bought shares of NSR when it went public a few month ago.