Companies need to act swiftly to protect their mobile online presence from competitors and cyber-squatters as the new .mobi domains go up for grabs.

Domain name registrar NetNames warned that the sunrise period reserved for trademark holders within the mobile industry began this week and ends on 28 May. 

This initial one week sign-up period will be followed by a sunrise period for general trademark holders which runs from 12 June to 22 August. The land rush for the general public will start on 28 August.

"Companies need to act quickly to protect their brands and existing online presence from potential threats," said Jonathan Robinson, chief operating officer at NetNames.

"Applications will be dealt with in the order in which they are received, so any delay could mean names being registered elsewhere and a lost opportunity or worse for your brand."

The .mobi domains are designed to direct users to sites and services set up specifically for mobile devices.

Robinson explained that the new domain will help make mobile internet addresses easier to market, and could increase the volume of consumers surfing the web on the move.

A recent report from mobile internet firm InfoGin found that a third of British mobile phone users want to surf the web on their handsets, but only if service providers can deliver a "true internet environment ". 

The last major domain name to be launched was the European .eu suffix back in April. Over one million applications were received within the first 24 hours after opening to the general public.