.ZA regulations on the horizon

By Candice Jones, ITWeb online telecoms editor

Johannesburg, 30 Jul 2009

The .ZA Domain Name Authority (DNA) is drafting new regulations that could see the shrinking of administrators for third-level domains.

The authority regulates all the top-level .ZA domain and contracts out the administration of the second-level domains, like co.za and org.za, to other companies. However, the new draft regulations will look at centralising the administration of those domains.

Facts about .ZA DNA

The authority fields on average 10 domain name disputes a year, which is farmed to a provider. It has dealt with a total of 30 disputes in .ZA over the three years it has been running actively.
A dispute could cost around R10 000 to resolve, but the authority has put aside money for those who need financial assistance. Resolution takes around two to three months.
The .mobi.za domain may be the next to be launched.
The authority is researching top-level domain names (www.name.za), although there are several technical difficulties - including the possibility of domain hijacking and camping for cash.

Uniform SA currently provides support for .co.za, Internet Solutions for org.za and Tertiary Education Network looks after the ac.za domains. Several others manage the remaining less prominent domains under .za.

Vika Mpisane, GM at the authority, explains that - while the regulations are in progress - the companies managing the domains will continue to do so. The regulations will govern the licensing of the administration of the second-level domains.

The authority has been mandated to set up a central management system. Until the licences are allocated, it does not receive any financial reciprocation of the second-level domains.

It is currently being funded by government to the tune of R1.5 million per year; however, once the licensing has been completed, the authority can free itself from the treasury and fund itself, says Mpisane.

The draft regulations are with the Department of Communications and are awaiting publication in the Government Gazette. A round of public submissions and hearings will be held for industry comment.

.ZA DNA is also in the process of increasing its public profile and intends to hold a series of workshops that will explore what it does and how it goes about it.

DNA hopes to have the regulatory process wrapped up by May next year.