Country code top-level domain: Difference between revisions
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'''Country Code Top-Level | A '''Country Code Top-Level Domain''' ('''ccTLD''') is a two-letter Internet top-level domains ([[TLD]]s) specifically designated for a particular country, sovereign state or autonomous territory for use to service their community. ccTLDs are derived from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2 ISO 3166-1 alpha-2] country codes.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/cctlds/ ICANN ccTLDs]</ref> | ||
==Implementation== | ==Implementation== | ||
The implementation of ccTLDs was started by [[IANA]]. The delegation and creation of ccTLDs is presented within RFC | The implementation of ccTLDs was started by [[IANA]], which is not a physical organization or an individual but it is part of [[ICANN]].<ref>[https://www.nominus.com/en/dm/blog/country-domains/january-2022/what-are-country-code-top-level-domains-and-why-do-they-matter Who created ccTLDs?]</ref> The delegation and creation of ccTLDs is presented within [https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1591.txt RFC 1591]. In order to determine whether new ccTLDs should be added or not, the IANA follows the provisions of ISO 3166 - Maintenance Agency. Briefly, "our policy is to create new country-code top-level domains when the country or territory is listed on the ISO 3166-1 standard." | ||
More information related to the development of new ccTLDs can be found in [http://www.iana.org/procedures/cctld-establishment.html IANA's Procedures for Establishing ccTLDs]. <ref>[http://www.iana.org/domains/root/cctld/ IANA ccTLD]</ref> | |||
===IANA's Procedures for ccTLDs=== | ===IANA's Procedures for ccTLDs=== | ||
Within its database, | |||
Within its database, IANA maintains authoritative information related to ccTLDs. This includes sponsoring organizations, technical and administrative contacts, name servers, registration [[URL]]s and other such information. This type of information provides extra details regarding the IANA's procedures for maintaining the ccTLD database. | |||
==Delegation and Redelegation== | ==Delegation and Redelegation== | ||
Conceptually speaking, the delegation and redelegation processes are simple, | The process through which the designated manager, or managers, is changed is known as ''redelegation''. The redelegation process follows the provisions of [https://archive.icann.org/en/policies/icp-1-archived.htm ICP-1] and RFC 1591. IANA receives all requests of a sponsoring organization related to delegation and redelegation for the ccTLDs. The requests are then analyzed by IANA based on various technical and public criterion. The request, accompanied by the IANA analysis, is finally sent to the [[ICANN Board|ICANN Board of Directors]] for approval or refusal. If approved, IANA is also responsible for the implementation of the request.<ref name="guide">[http://www.iana.org/domains/root/delegation-guide/ Delegation and Redelegation Guide]</ref> | ||
Conceptually speaking, the delegation and redelegation processes are simple. However, they can easily become complex if there are many organizations and individuals involved in the process. There is a set of steps that must be followed before sending the request for delegation or redelegation. An initial request should be developed, based on ''The Change Request Template'' and supplementary information, to prove that the eligibility criteria have been met by the initial request. All the information supplied is used by IANA to analyze the request received.<ref name="guide">[http://www.iana.org/domains/root/delegation-guide/ Delegation and Redelegation Guide]</ref> | |||
==ccTLDs and ICANN== | ==ccTLDs and ICANN== | ||
The policies developed by ICANN are implemented by [[gTLD]] [[registry]] operators, ccTLD managers, root-nameserver operators and regional Internet registries. One of the main activities of ICANN is to work with other organizations involved in the technical coordination of the Internet, with the purpose of formally documenting their participatory role within the ICANN process. These organizations are committed to the ICANN policies that result from their work. | |||
In | In 2000, ICANN started cooperating with ccTLD managers to document their relationship. The relationships between ICANN and ccTLD mangers are often complex. Complexities arise due to various circumstances, including the type of organization, cultural issues, economics, the legal environment, etc. Another consideration is the role of the national government in "managing or establishing policy for their own ccTLD" (role recognized in the June 1998, U.S. Government [[White Paper]]).<ref>[https://www.icann.org/resources/unthemed-pages/white-paper-2012-02-25-en White Paper, 2/25/2012, ICANN Resources]</ref> | ||
In 2009, ICANN began the implementation of an [[IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process]],<ref>[http://www.idnnews.com/?p=9433 IDN News]</ref> whereby countries that use non-Latin script are able to claim ccTLDs in their native script and the corresponding Latin version. As of early 2011, 33 requests have been received, representing 22 languages.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/ ICANN]</ref> More than half have already been approved.<ref>[http://www.ausregistry.com/blog/?p=342 AUSRegistry]</ref> | |||
== | ==Pseudo-ccTLD== | ||
A pseudo-ccTLD mimics an official country code domain without formal recognition, often used for branding or to suggest geographical affiliation. | |||
==Open ccTLDs== | |||
''Related Article - [[Open Use ccTLD]]''<br> | |||
An '''open ccTLD''' refers to a country code top level domain name that can be registered by anyone, regardless of which country the person resides in. These ccTLDs generally represent a particular branding opportunity aside from the name of the country or territory it represents. Examples include [[.cc]] (Cocos Island) for consulting companies, [[.tv]] (Tuvalu) for television, [[.ws]] (Western Samoa) for websites, and [[.co]] (Colombia) as an alternative to [[.com]] for companies.<ref>[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/archived_content/people/edelman/open-cctlds/ Registrations in Open ccTLDs]</ref> | |||
==Current ccTLDs== | |||
== | |||
The following is a list of the current ccTLDs, including their [[registry]] operators and any special notes about registration of the domains.<ref>[http://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/ IANA Root Zone Database]</ref><ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains#Internationalized_country_code_top-level_domains Wikipedia: List of Internet to-level domains]</ref> | The following is a list of the current ccTLDs, including their [[registry]] operators and any special notes about registration of the domains.<ref>[http://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/ IANA Root Zone Database]</ref><ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains#Internationalized_country_code_top-level_domains Wikipedia: List of Internet to-level domains]</ref> | ||
<table border="1" style="border-style: solid; border-color: darkgray; border-collapse: collapse" width="63%" cellpadding="6" width="900px"><tr><td>'''ccTLD'''</td><td>'''Entity'''</td><td>'''Registry Operator'''</td><td width="150px">'''Notes'''</td></tr> | <table border="1" style="border-style: solid; border-color: darkgray; border-collapse: collapse" width="63%" cellpadding="6" width="900px"><tr><td>'''ccTLD'''</td><td>'''Entity'''</td><td>'''Registry Operator'''</td><td width="150px">'''Notes'''</td></tr> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ac]]</td><td>Ascension Island</td><td>[[ | <tr><td>[[.ac]]</td><td>Ascension Island</td><td>[[NIC.ac|NIC.AC]]</td><td></td></tr> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ad]]</td><td>Andorra</td><td>[[Andorra Telecom]]</td><td></td></tr> | <tr><td>[[.ad]]</td><td>Andorra</td><td>[[Andorra Telecom]]</td><td></td></tr> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ae]]</td><td>United Arab Emirates</td><td>[[ | <tr><td>[[.ae]]</td><td>United Arab Emirates</td><td>[[Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority |Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA)]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.af]]</td><td>Afghanistan</td><td>[[AfgNIC]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.af]]</td><td>Afghanistan</td><td>[[AfgNIC]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ag]]</td><td>Antigua and Barbuda</td><td>[[Nic AG]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.ag]]</td><td>Antigua and Barbuda</td><td>[[Nic AG]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ai]]</td><td>Anguilla</td><td>[[Government of Anguilla]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.ai]]</td><td>Anguilla</td><td>[[Government of Anguilla]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.al]]</td><td>Albania</td><td>Albania Electronic and Postal Communications Authority ([[AKEP]])</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.al]]</td><td>Albania</td><td>Albania Electronic and Postal Communications Authority ([[AKEP]])</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.am]]</td><td>Armenia</td><td>[[ISOC.AM]] ( | <tr><td>[[.am]]</td><td>Armenia</td><td>[[ISOC.AM]] (Internet Society NGO, based in Armenia 1994, 4 August)</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.an]]</td><td>Antilles (Netherlands)</td><td>[[University of the Netherlands Antilles]]</td><td>Being phased out</td> | <tr><td>[[.an]]</td><td>Antilles (Netherlands)</td><td>[[University of the Netherlands Antilles]]</td><td>Being phased out</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ao]]</td><td>Angola</td><td>[[Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade Agostinho Neto]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.ao]]</td><td>Angola</td><td>[[Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade Agostinho Neto]]</td><td></td> | ||
| Line 75: | Line 56: | ||
<tr><td>[[.au]]</td><td>Australia</td><td>[[auDA]]</td><td>ABN (Australian Business Number) required</td> | <tr><td>[[.au]]</td><td>Australia</td><td>[[auDA]]</td><td>ABN (Australian Business Number) required</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.aw]]</td><td>Aruba</td><td>[[SETAR]]</td><td>Restricted to local companies, organizations, and citizens</td> | <tr><td>[[.aw]]</td><td>Aruba</td><td>[[SETAR]]</td><td>Restricted to local companies, organizations, and citizens</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ax]]</td><td>Aland Islands</td><td>[[Ålands | <tr><td>[[.ax]]</td><td>Aland Islands</td><td>[[Ålands Landskapsregeringen]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.az]]</td><td>Azerbaijan</td><td>[[ | <tr><td>[[.az]]</td><td>Azerbaijan</td><td>[[IntraNS]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ba]]</td><td>Bosnia and Herzegovina</td><td>[[UTIC]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.ba]]</td><td>Bosnia and Herzegovina</td><td>[[UTIC]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.bb]]</td><td>Barbados</td><td>[[Government of Barbados Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development Telecommunications Unit]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.bb]]</td><td>Barbados</td><td>[[Government of Barbados Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development Telecommunications Unit]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.bd]]</td><td>Bangladesh</td><td>[[Ministry of Post & Telecommunications Bangladesh Secretariat]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.bd]]</td><td>Bangladesh</td><td>[[Ministry of Post & Telecommunications Bangladesh Secretariat]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.be]]</td><td>Belgium</td><td>[[DNS Belgium]]</td><td>Also unofficially used in Berne, Switzerland</td> | <tr><td>[[.be]]</td><td>Belgium</td><td>[[DNS Belgium]]</td><td>Also unofficially used in Berne, Switzerland</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.bf]]</td><td>Burkina Faso</td><td>[[ | <tr><td>[[.bf]]</td><td>Burkina Faso</td><td>[[ARCEP]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.bg]]</td><td>Bulgaria</td><td>[[Register.BG]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.bg]]</td><td>Bulgaria</td><td>[[Register.BG]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.bh]]</td><td>Bahrain</td><td>[[BATELCO]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.bh]]</td><td>Bahrain</td><td>[[BATELCO]]</td><td></td> | ||
| Line 123: | Line 104: | ||
<tr><td>[[.do]]</td><td>Dominican Republic</td><td>[[Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra Recinto Santo Tomas de Aquino]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.do]]</td><td>Dominican Republic</td><td>[[Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra Recinto Santo Tomas de Aquino]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.dz]]</td><td>Algeria</td><td>[[NIC.dz]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.dz]]</td><td>Algeria</td><td>[[NIC.dz]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ec]]</td><td>Ecuador</td><td>[ | <tr><td>[[.ec]]</td><td>Ecuador</td><td>[https://nic.ec ECUADORDOMAIN S.A.]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ee]]</td><td>Estonia</td><td>[[Estonian Internet Foundation]]</td><td>Estonian postal address required for administrative contact</td> | <tr><td>[[.ee]]</td><td>Estonia</td><td>[[Estonian Internet Foundation]]</td><td>Estonian postal address required for administrative contact</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.eg]]</td><td>Egypt</td><td>[[EUN Supreme Council of Universities]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.eg]]</td><td>Egypt</td><td>[[EUN Supreme Council of Universities]]</td><td></td> | ||
| Line 131: | Line 112: | ||
<tr><td>[[.et]]</td><td>Ethiopia</td><td>[[Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.et]]</td><td>Ethiopia</td><td>[[Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.eu]]</td><td>European Union</td><td>[[EURid]]</td><td>Restricted to institutions, companies, and individuals within the European Union</td> | <tr><td>[[.eu]]</td><td>European Union</td><td>[[EURid]]</td><td>Restricted to institutions, companies, and individuals within the European Union</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.fi]]</td><td>Finland</td><td>[[FICORA]]</td><td> | <tr><td>[[.fi]]</td><td>Finland</td><td>[[FICORA]]</td><td>Registration is available to everyone all around the world</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.fj]]</td><td>Fiji</td><td>[[The University of the South Pacific IT Services]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.fj]]</td><td>Fiji</td><td>[[The University of the South Pacific IT Services]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.fk]]</td><td>Falkland Islands (Malvinas)</td><td>[[Falkland Islands Government]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.fk]]</td><td>Falkland Islands (Malvinas)</td><td>[[Falkland Islands Government]]</td><td></td> | ||
| Line 183: | Line 164: | ||
<tr><td>[[.kn]]</td><td>Saint Kitts and Nevis</td><td>[[Ministry of Finance, Sustainable Development Information & Technology]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.kn]]</td><td>Saint Kitts and Nevis</td><td>[[Ministry of Finance, Sustainable Development Information & Technology]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.kp]]</td><td>Democratic People's Republic of Korea</td><td>[[Star Joint Venture Company]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.kp]]</td><td>Democratic People's Republic of Korea</td><td>[[Star Joint Venture Company]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[. | <tr><td>[[.kr]]</td><td>Republic of Korea</td><td>[[KISA]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.kw]]</td><td>Kuwait</td><td>[[Ministry of Communications]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.kw]]</td><td>Kuwait</td><td>[[Ministry of Communications]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ky]]</td><td>Caymen Islands</td><td>[[The Information and Communication Authority]]</td><td>Restricted to qualified Cayman entities</td> | <tr><td>[[.ky]]</td><td>Caymen Islands</td><td>[[The Information and Communication Authority]]</td><td>Restricted to qualified Cayman entities</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.kz]]</td><td>Kazakhstan</td><td>[[Association of IT Companies of Kazakhstan]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.kz]]</td><td>Kazakhstan</td><td>[[Association of IT Companies of Kazakhstan]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.la]]</td><td>Laos</td><td>[[LANIC]]</td><td>Currently marketed as an unofficial domain for Los Angeles</td> | <tr><td>[[.la]]</td><td>Laos</td><td>[[LANIC]]</td><td>Currently marketed as an unofficial domain for Los Angeles</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.lb]]</td><td>Lebanon</td><td>[ | <tr><td>[[.lb]]</td><td>Lebanon</td><td>[https://www.isoc.org.lb/ Internet Society Lebanon (ISOC-LB)] </td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.lc]]</td><td>Saint Lucia</td><td>[[University of Puerto Rico]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.lc]]</td><td>Saint Lucia</td><td>[[University of Puerto Rico]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.li]]</td><td>Liechtenstein</td><td>[[Universitaet Liechtenstein]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.li]]</td><td>Liechtenstein</td><td>[[Universitaet Liechtenstein]]</td><td></td> | ||
| Line 243: | Line 224: | ||
<tr><td>[[.pm]]</td><td>Saint Pierre and Miquelon</td><td>[[AFNIC]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.pm]]</td><td>Saint Pierre and Miquelon</td><td>[[AFNIC]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.pn]]</td><td>Pitcairn</td><td>[[Pitcairn Island Administration]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.pn]]</td><td>Pitcairn</td><td>[[Pitcairn Island Administration]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.pr]]</td><td>Puerto Rico</td><td>[[Gauss Research Laboratory]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.pr]]</td><td>Puerto Rico</td><td>[[Gauss Research Laboratory Inc|Gauss Research Laboratory Inc (GRL-INC)]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ps]]</td><td>Palestine</td><td>[[PNINA|Palestinian National Internet Naming Authority (PNINA)]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.ps]]</td><td>Palestine</td><td>[[PNINA|Palestinian National Internet Naming Authority (PNINA)]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.pt]]</td><td>Portugal</td><td>[[DNS.PT]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.pt]]</td><td>Portugal</td><td>[[DNS.PT]]</td><td></td> | ||
| Line 267: | Line 248: | ||
<tr><td>[[.sm]]</td><td>San Marino</td><td>[[Telecom Italia San Marino]]</td><td>Domain name must be same as company name or trademark</td> | <tr><td>[[.sm]]</td><td>San Marino</td><td>[[Telecom Italia San Marino]]</td><td>Domain name must be same as company name or trademark</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.sn]]</td><td>Senegal</td><td>[[Universite Cheikh Anta Diop]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.sn]]</td><td>Senegal</td><td>[[Universite Cheikh Anta Diop]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.so]]</td><td>Somalia</td><td>[[ | <tr><td>[[.so]]</td><td>Somalia</td><td>[[SONIC]]</td><td>Relaunched on Novemner 1, 2010</td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.sr]]</td><td>Suriname</td><td>[[Telesur]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.sr]]</td><td>Suriname</td><td>[[Telesur]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.ss]]</td><td>South Sudan</td><td>Unassigned</td><td>Currently not in root zone</td> | <tr><td>[[.ss]]</td><td>South Sudan</td><td>Unassigned</td><td>Currently not in root zone</td> | ||
| Line 305: | Line 286: | ||
<tr><td>[[.vg]]</td><td>British Virgin Islands</td><td>[[Pinebrook Developments Ltd.]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.vg]]</td><td>British Virgin Islands</td><td>[[Pinebrook Developments Ltd.]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.vi]]</td><td>US Virgin Islands</td><td>[[NIC.vi]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.vi]]</td><td>US Virgin Islands</td><td>[[NIC.vi]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.vn]]</td><td>Vietnam</td><td>[[ | <tr><td>[[.vn]]</td><td>Vietnam</td><td>[[VNNIC]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.vu]]</td><td>Vanuatu</td><td>[[Telecom Vanuatu Ltd.]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.vu]]</td><td>Vanuatu</td><td>[[Telecom Vanuatu Ltd.]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.wf]]</td><td>Wallis and Futuna</td><td>[[AFNIC]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.wf]]</td><td>Wallis and Futuna</td><td>[[AFNIC]]</td><td></td> | ||
| Line 311: | Line 292: | ||
<tr><td>[[.yt]]</td><td>Mayote</td><td>[[AFNIC]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.yt]]</td><td>Mayote</td><td>[[AFNIC]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.za]]</td><td>South Africa</td><td>[[ZADNA]]</td><td></td> | <tr><td>[[.za]]</td><td>South Africa</td><td>[[ZADNA]]</td><td></td> | ||
<tr><td>[[.zm]]</td><td>Zambia</td><td>[[ZAMNET]]</td><td></td> | |||
<tr><td>[[.zw]]</td><td>Zimbabwe</td><td>[[ZISPA]]</td><td></td> | |||
</table> | </table> | ||
| Line 317: | Line 300: | ||
{{reflist}}</div> | {{reflist}}</div> | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:TLD]] | ||
Latest revision as of 17:40, 20 November 2024
This article needs attention. Please help improve it by revising the article in accordance with ICANNWiki's content guidelines. In particular, ensure a neutral point of view and proper sourcing of information.
A Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) is a two-letter Internet top-level domains (TLDs) specifically designated for a particular country, sovereign state or autonomous territory for use to service their community. ccTLDs are derived from ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes.[1]
Implementation[edit | edit source]
The implementation of ccTLDs was started by IANA, which is not a physical organization or an individual but it is part of ICANN.[2] The delegation and creation of ccTLDs is presented within RFC 1591. In order to determine whether new ccTLDs should be added or not, the IANA follows the provisions of ISO 3166 - Maintenance Agency. Briefly, "our policy is to create new country-code top-level domains when the country or territory is listed on the ISO 3166-1 standard."
More information related to the development of new ccTLDs can be found in IANA's Procedures for Establishing ccTLDs. [3]
IANA's Procedures for ccTLDs[edit | edit source]
Within its database, IANA maintains authoritative information related to ccTLDs. This includes sponsoring organizations, technical and administrative contacts, name servers, registration URLs and other such information. This type of information provides extra details regarding the IANA's procedures for maintaining the ccTLD database.
Delegation and Redelegation[edit | edit source]
The process through which the designated manager, or managers, is changed is known as redelegation. The redelegation process follows the provisions of ICP-1 and RFC 1591. IANA receives all requests of a sponsoring organization related to delegation and redelegation for the ccTLDs. The requests are then analyzed by IANA based on various technical and public criterion. The request, accompanied by the IANA analysis, is finally sent to the ICANN Board of Directors for approval or refusal. If approved, IANA is also responsible for the implementation of the request.[4]
Conceptually speaking, the delegation and redelegation processes are simple. However, they can easily become complex if there are many organizations and individuals involved in the process. There is a set of steps that must be followed before sending the request for delegation or redelegation. An initial request should be developed, based on The Change Request Template and supplementary information, to prove that the eligibility criteria have been met by the initial request. All the information supplied is used by IANA to analyze the request received.[4]
ccTLDs and ICANN[edit | edit source]
The policies developed by ICANN are implemented by gTLD registry operators, ccTLD managers, root-nameserver operators and regional Internet registries. One of the main activities of ICANN is to work with other organizations involved in the technical coordination of the Internet, with the purpose of formally documenting their participatory role within the ICANN process. These organizations are committed to the ICANN policies that result from their work.
In 2000, ICANN started cooperating with ccTLD managers to document their relationship. The relationships between ICANN and ccTLD mangers are often complex. Complexities arise due to various circumstances, including the type of organization, cultural issues, economics, the legal environment, etc. Another consideration is the role of the national government in "managing or establishing policy for their own ccTLD" (role recognized in the June 1998, U.S. Government White Paper).[5]
In 2009, ICANN began the implementation of an IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process,[6] whereby countries that use non-Latin script are able to claim ccTLDs in their native script and the corresponding Latin version. As of early 2011, 33 requests have been received, representing 22 languages.[7] More than half have already been approved.[8]
Pseudo-ccTLD[edit | edit source]
A pseudo-ccTLD mimics an official country code domain without formal recognition, often used for branding or to suggest geographical affiliation.
Open ccTLDs[edit | edit source]
Related Article - Open Use ccTLD
An open ccTLD refers to a country code top level domain name that can be registered by anyone, regardless of which country the person resides in. These ccTLDs generally represent a particular branding opportunity aside from the name of the country or territory it represents. Examples include .cc (Cocos Island) for consulting companies, .tv (Tuvalu) for television, .ws (Western Samoa) for websites, and .co (Colombia) as an alternative to .com for companies.[9]
Current ccTLDs[edit | edit source]
The following is a list of the current ccTLDs, including their registry operators and any special notes about registration of the domains.[10][11]