The.ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) has announced that it is reviewing five bids to provide registry services for the second-level domains co. za, web. za, net. za, and org. za.
ZADNA (The . ZA Domain Name Authority) is South Africa’s regulator and manager of the .za namespace.
Molehe Wesi, the regulator’s CEO, confirmed that they had finalized the review process, which he described as critical in identifying a capable service provider.
Wesi said that they are committed to appointing the new registration operator as soon as possible, with minimal disruption to Registrars and Registrants.
The existing contract with the ZA Central Registry (ZACR) was terminated last year and ends on the 1st of April this year, but they did not terminate the contract without first implementing a licensing framework to replace the existing contract.
There were concerns that the ZADNA deadlines were too “aggressive” in the transition to new services providers but Wesi assured those concerned stating:
“We are confident that we will find a capable Registry Operator among the service providers that responded. While we are prioritizing the process of appointing a suitable organization, we also have a responsibility to ensure that we follow our internal procurement processes.”
The interested companies had until the 9th of December last year to submit their bids.
The five companies currently in the running are :
- ZA Registry Consortium (ZARC)
- Lexreg and Fevertree Consulting Consortium (FTC)
- GoDaddy Registry
- The Bean App & GMO Internet Group
- Catalytic Peter capital Consortium
ZADNA stated that they intend to make the industry “fluid” so that “competent” service providers, including those from underrepresented groups, can participate in the industry.
The proposal, according to ZADNA, will allow SMMEs to actively participate in the domain namespace by becoming a registrar, a domain name reseller, or an entity that gives youth, women, and persons with disabilities chances to drive the ecosystem.
This decision by ZADNA will allow those who aren’t typically able to submit a tender and compete for these domains to do so fairly, which is a step in the right direction for those who weren’t previously able to submit tenders or compete.
This tender will have a significant impact on many South Africans, so only time will tell which company is chosen and whether they are up to the task in a highly competitive industry. We will keep you up to date with any further developments on this story.