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MEAC DNS Study

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The Middle East and Adjoining Countries (MEAC) DNS Study 2015 analyzes the MEAC region's domain name industry and registration data as it relates to the larger global internet environment. MEAC contains a structured survey of ccTLD registries in the region, supplemented with interviews with registries and registrars, and also offers suggested actions to stimulate wider uptake in the region.[1]

The recommendation to conduct this study was one of the outcomes of the Middle East Engagement Strategy, which was developed by a group of community members in the region, and defined three strategic focus areas for the region. One of those focus areas, which was to develop the region's domain name industry, is covered by this study.[2]

ICANN first called for proposals for the study in March 2015, and requested that reports be submitted no later than October 9th.[2] In June 2015, the .eu registry, EURid, was selected by ICANN to conduct the study.[3]

General Findings[edit | edit source]

Regional Differences[edit | edit source]

  • Across the region as a whole, 31% of users spend 3 hours or fewer per day online, but in some countries, people said they are online for more than 10 hours per day.
  • Users have a strong preference for websites using local languages such as Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu when interacting with friends and government online, but English dominates the language of web content, with 71% of sites associated with the region (compared to 55% of global sites).[1]
  • Social media is on the uptake in the region, perhaps because difficulties in domain name registration make social media a faster channel to get online.[1]

Domain Name Industry[edit | edit source]

  • Only 1% of the world's registered domains are in the MEAC region. Only 3 ccTLDs in the region have higher than 10 domains per 1,000 inhabitants, which compares to 100-300 domains per 1,000 in other countries worldwide.[1]
  • Annual growth in domain name registrations is strong, at >20% per year. Growth is particularly strong in ccTLDs that have deregulated, such as .tn and .ma.
  • There are 21,000 IDNs in the region, half of which are under .tr and half which are Arabic script -- but in general, uptake of IDNs is hampered by lack of universal acceptance.[1]
  • Hosting markets are strongly linked to domain name registration, and hosting across the region is weak, with the exception of Iran and Turkey. Only 5% of popular web content is hosted in the region, and many countries have strict legislation affecting internet content.[1]
  • Most international registrars who have modern platforms for end-users are not present in the region and are discouraged from involvement due to administrative barriers to registering domain names in the region, such as manual procedures or pre-registration checks.[1]
  • Most ccTLDs in the region are confined to their territory and have strict policies for registrar accreditation and domain name registration.[1]
  • End user awareness about internet domain names was quite high; nearly half the users surveyed knew what a domain name is. 40% typed domains directly into the navigation bar of their browser (compared with 35 % of global users), and nearly all users from the region check the domain name before clicking search results.[1]

Recommendations[edit | edit source]

  • Basic internet access issues need to be given priority. Local hosting markets must be strengthened.
  • Policies and investment should focus on supporting eCommerce and local language content.
  • Local TLD operators should liberalize policies, by making them more accessible, lowering fees, and making policies more transparent.[1]
  • Standarizing technical and operational systems will reduce coasts and encourage international registrars to support the region, which is essential to long-term growth.
  • International registrars can intensify local competition by lowering retail prices and improving uptake.
  • ccTLDs in the region should consider starter programmes and incentives to on-board new registrars at local level.
  • Registries may also consider bundling domain names with add-on products such as forwarding services and services that assist customers in building websites.[1]

MEAC Countries & the MEAC Environment[edit | edit source]

The region covered in the MEAC Study covers a large geographic expanse, from the Atlantic coast in the West to the Hindu Kush in the East. Linguistic diversity includes several languages sharing Arabic script, such as Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, Dari, Pashto), and others (such as Turkish) written in Latin script.[2]

At the request of ICANN, the MEAC DNS Study focuses deeply on the following countries:[1]

  • Egypt
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Morocco
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Tunisia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Afghanistan
  • Islamic Republic of Iran
  • Pakistan
  • Turkey

Research Methodology[edit | edit source]

The data presented in the MEAC DNS Study was gathered from a combination of:[1]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 MEAC DNS Study, ICANN.org. Published 2015 October 13. Retrieved 2015 November 6.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Request for Proposal: DNS Study for the Middle East and Adjoining Countries, ICANN.org. Retrieved 2015 November 6.
  3. ↑ EURid selected by ICANN to develop DNS study in the Middle East and adjoining countries, EURid.org. Published 2015 June 15. Retrieved 2015 November 6.

External Links[edit | edit source]

Retrieved from "https://icannwiki.org/index.php?title=MEAC_DNS_Study&oldid=108228"