The internet body that oversees web domain names failed to agree on a final policy for adding new net suffixes at last week's emergency conference in Cairo.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) faces a desperate shortage of dot com names. It has spent the last eight months reviewing proposals to increase the web naming spectrum by adding new generic top-level domain categories, such as dotbank or dotshop.

The Icann board, however, found that so many issues have been raised - ranging from dot com trademark protection to public backlash - that it has now created a committee to explore the options.

"The whole industry is unanimous about the need for a change, because sensible dot com names are getting very scarce," said Michael Schneider, chief executive of AboveNet Germany and a member of the Icann domain name council.

Schneider said a growing lobby of ISPs and IP lawyers believe any solution involving simply adding new names will only be temporary.

"All the meaningful names will be snapped up in the first few days by big companies and IP lawyers, and we will be left in the same position as we are today," he warned.

"I think we should either add only a single new name to limit the problem, or hundreds so there can be no monopoly on certain names. But whatever we do, it's time to act now."

Icann says the naming committee must post its findings for public comment on www.icann.org before the next meeting, in Japan on 15 July.