ZADNA appoints .ZA Internet domain registry operator
The .ZA Domain Name Authority (Zadna) has appointed the ZA Registry Consortium (ZARC) as its administrative and technical service provider for .ZA commercial second-level domains.
The announcement comes after the two entities recently completed registry operator agreement (ROA) negotiations.
“We are pleased to appoint the ZARC through a rigorous and open process, and we have no doubt that this relationship will take the .za namespace to greater heights,” said Zadna CEO, Molehe Wesi.
“Conclusion of this process will provide the reassurance and much-needed stability we have always committed to; and now the real work to continue to provide a secure, resilient and vibrant .za namespace starts,” Wesi added.
ZARC is a consortium of the non-profit company ZA Central Registry and Domain Name Services (Pty) Ltd.
Under the ROA, it will provide administrative and technical services for the operation and maintenance of .co.za; .org.za; .net.za and .web.za from 1 October 2022 until October 2027.
Zadna is a South African government agency mandated to administer and manage the .za namespace.
The organisation has come under fire for proposed sweeping changes to how registrars handle domains under South Africa’s country code top-level domain.
These include the following:
- Registrars (or hosting providers) must collect identity documents of registrants
- Registrars must provide Zadna with access to their environments upon request for audits
- Registrars must pay Zadna a licence fee, which is yet to be determined
The Internet Service Provider Association (Ispa) has warned that the .ZA brand could suffer severe damage should these draft regulations come into effect.
“Burdensome restrictions on domain name registrars and registrants [will] lead to brand owners abandoning the .ZA Internet country code in favour of one of the multitude of generic domains (such as .COM or .BUSINESS) that are easier to register,” said Ispa domain name working group chair William Stucke.
“Zadna’s draft regulations and procedures as they stand threaten to undo 34 years of local and international goodwill towards domains ending in .ZA.”
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