DotMobi is making .mobi domain names with one and two alphanumeric characters available to companies that want to extend their brand to the mobile Internet.

These short names are highly sought after by companies who to extend their brand with a brief, memorable Web address. In a recent auction of numeric domains, names such as 88.com went for as much as $325,000. Numeric domains in particular are sought after because there is no translation needed among countries, making them useful for global brand recognition.

"DotMobi continues to be an advocate for the growth of quality mobile Web content and its usage," said Amy Mischler, vice president of identity and brand services at dotMobi, Washington. "Allocating these names to brands and businesses with strong development and marketing plans is intended to aid in that process."

DotMobi is one of the companies leading the growth of Internet use from mobile phones with the .mobi domain name. Unique among domain name providers, dotMobi ensures that services and sites developed around .mobi are optimized for use by mobile devices, so that on-the-go consumers can have confidence that a Web site will work on their mobile phones when using a .mobi address.

The newly available domains give brands an upper hand in supporting mobile phone users who do not want to type long URL addresses into their phone browser for viewing mobile content.

"These names are highly desirable in the marketplace," Ms. Mischler said. "Our strategy to furnish these names only to select entities with relevant content development plans and intentions to create broad awareness is consistent with our mission of ensuring .mobi sites reflect made-for-mobile, positive user experiences.

Additionally, the domains can be used to reinforce brand loyalty.

For example, universities can use their acronyms to help students find school-related mobile content.

United States state tourism boards could use their two-digital abbreviations for reaching travelers.

Also, publicly traded companies might use their ticker symbols as domains that allow their stockholders to find current stock worth via their mobile phones.

Discovery is one the most critical challenges for any mobile content owner.

"A key step is to use a mobile Web site address that is memorable, concise, and easy for users to navigate to from a mobile phone," Ms. Micshler said. "Another step is to promote that mobile destination to create awareness among customers and users.

"Using a 1 or 2 character .mobi domain name brings all of that together with a name that is specifically designated for the mobile Web, one that is short and concise, and that gives select brands an opportunity to associate themselves with these memorable characters," she said.

"Just imagine who might want to use Y.mobi, G.mobi, 24.mobi, etc as their mobile platform to extend their brand and to help users more easily find their content. We see this as a win for the brands and their users."