The authority in charge of administering SA’s country-code top-level domain is likely to introduce three new second-level domains below the .za in local Internet addresses. The proposed “second-level domains” are .mobi.za, .fam.za and .shop.za.

Vika Mpisane (pictured), GM of the .za Domain Name Authority (Zadna), says a proposal in this regard will probably be put to the authority’s board “later this year”.

The proposal will be submitted to the board, but only after a proposed centralisation of domain registrations in SA is concluded. Until now, a number of Internet service providers have handled registrations for second-level domains. But Mpisane says there is a plan to create a central registry.

If Zadna’s board accepts the proposal for the new second-level domains, they’ll complement existing domains, including .co.za, .gov.za, .org.za and .school.za.

A clean-up of dormant second-level domains, including .ngo.za, .tm.za .net.za, .alt.za and .web.za, could also be on the cards, Mpisane says.

The commercial .co.za domain remains the most popular in SA, with 535 000 registrants. This is followed in distant second place by .org.za, which has 16 000 registrants.

The proposed new domains will cater to websites formatted for mobile phones (.mobi.za), to those aimed at family audiences (.fam.za) and to those offering e-commerce and related services (.shop.za).

Mpisane says the authority will be careful not to introduce too many new second-level domains. “We will consider proposals, but it won’t be a free-for-all,” he says.  — Duncan McLeod, TechCentral

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