The ZA Central Registry (ZACR), which looks after the .za Internet domain, has been approved as an official registrar of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (Icann).
The development means ZACR can now sell any Icann generic top-level domain (gTLD) direct to consumers. ZACR now holds dual accreditation with Icann as both a registry and a registrar.
gTLDs are one of the categories of top-level domains used in the Internet’s domain name system and examples include the well-known .com, .info, .net and .org domains. Lesser-known variations include the domains .biz, .name and .pro.
“ZACR’s approval as an Icann-accredited registrar will enable greater competition and accessibility within the South African and African domain name market, ultimately benefiting consumers through more affordable domain name pricing,” said ZACR CEO Lucky Masilela in a statement.
Masilela said the development means more companies can become resellers of gTLDs.
The next step is for ZACR to launch a proxy registrar, with new prices soon to be announced, it said. The ZACR proxy registrar will allow non-accredited Icann registrars to resell Icann gTLDs.
ZACR is already responsible for administering second-level domains within the greater .za namespace. These include the more than 1,1m domain names ending in co.za, web.za, org.za and net.za, as well as .capetown, .durban and .joburg. — © 2016 NewsCentral Media
