Somalia takes full charge of country code top-level domain

Officials from the National Communications Authority (NCA) and Somali National Information Centre Friday signed the transfer agreement giving full control of the country top level domain to NCA. Photo: courtesy

The newly established communications sector regulator Friday took control of the country’s top level domain (dotSo) marking a major milestone in the regulation of the industry in line with the Communications Act passed by parliament last year.

The facility which had been under the management of Somali National Information Centre (SONIC) and Cloudy Registry will now be fully controlled and managed by the National Communication Authority.

Posts and Telecommunications Minister Abdi Hassan said SONIC will be absorbed by NCA. “Effective immediately SONIC will become a functional unit within the NCA and its technical operations personnel will report to the NCA management,” said Hassan.

“This is an important milestone for the ICT industry in Somalia and another achievement for the ministry on the heels of the passage of the Communication Law and the establishment of the regulatory authority,” he added.

The NCA has inked a deal with Cloud Registry, which provides registry and hosting services to the DotSO Domain. The agreement establishes a contractual relationship between the NCA and Cloud Registry.

“DotSO is a national asset and the 2017 Communication Law charges the NCA with its stewardship,” Abdi Sheik Ahmed, NCA general manager, said, adding that the domain will be managed in the interest of the public and the internet community.

A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code.