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.so

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This article is about the top-level domain. For the filename extension, seeExecutable and Linkable Format.
.so
Introduced28 August 1997
TLDtypeCountry code top-level domain
StatusActive
RegistrySONIC
SponsorSomali Network Information Center
Intended useEntities connected withSomalia
Actual useRecently re-established
Registration restrictionsLimited to institutions and organizations in Somalia, residents of Somalia, others who have a legitimate, clear and provable connection to Somalia
StructureRegistrations can be made via authorized registrars
DocumentsSomalia.so
Dispute policies.so domain name registration policies
WIPO
Registry websitesonic.so

.sois theinternetcountry code top-level domain(ccTLD) forSomalia.After a long absence, the.so domain was officially relaunched on November 1, 2010, by.SO Registry, which is regulated by the nation's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.[1]It was launched through various accreditedregistrarsaround the world.

On 11 July 2013 theISO 3166-1code for Somalia changed to reflect the SO used for theccTLD.

On July 8, 2015, the.so ccTLD registry was transferred to the Somali Network Information Center (SONIC),[2]which introduced new limitations on purchasing.sodomain names by persons and organizations not affiliated with Somalia.[3][4]As a result, several registrars suspended the registration of new.sodomain names.[5]

On March 9, 2018, Somalia's newly established telecom regulator The National Communications Authority (NCA) took full control of the country's top-level internet domain (dotSO) from the Somali National Information Center (SONIC) and Cloudy Registry, who ran the operations and the management of the domain Registry.[6]

History[edit]

Overview[edit]

Due to thecivil warin Somalia, operations of this domain were previously officially delegated toMonolith Innovation Group,a company inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania,[7]which is now defunct. The domain remained delegated to this company, even though it was defunct, until April 17, 2009, at which time the.so domain record was changed in the root zone to point to the servers of the new registry operator, theMinistry of Post and Telecommunications in Somalia.[8]

The demise of Monolith (ml.org)[edit]

Monolith Innovations, as a domain name server, was popular in the mid-1990s.

Second-level domain registrations at the time were (by modern standards) relatively expensive. Monolith operated various projects which allowed small sites to obtain an Internet address of the formexample.ml.orgat effectively no cost instead of paying full price ($50US in the first year) for a domain likeexample,example.orgorexample.net[9]

The domain name record for.so was initially created on 28 August 1997, at or near the peak of the ml.org service's popularity. At the time, the potential benefits seemed more than apparent. By taking responsibility for acountry code domain,Monolith could have become able to issue *.so domains at second-level for little or no cost, providing a viable alternative to the higher Network Solutions pricing of that era.

According to ml.org's founder, Aveek Datta, in 1998, "I've personally been trying to create a global FREE top level domain. Whether or not this becomes a reality is another question; money talks and big bucks are being waved about in the registry battles."[10] However, the ml.org service ceased operations at the end of 1998 due to "technical and organisational problems" which included major server failures.[11]Its second-level domains remain registered toAveek Datta,president of the former Monolith Innovations Group, but appear not to be in active use.[12] Throughout the domain's history, a one-page placeholder site at the nic.so address claimed that "no.SO domains are available and we are not looking for any registrar partners."[13][14]

However, the DNS servers for the domain name were badly configured,[citation needed]so the nic.so address was only available intermittently.

Relaunch[edit]

On February 3, 2009, ICANN approved redelegation of the.so domain to the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.[15]In ICANN's meeting minutes, it was revealed that Aveek Datta, the former registry operator, had disputed the redelegation request but he did not respond to ICANN's request to verify his connection with the former company.

The new registry operator relaunched the.so domain on November 1, 2010. Requests to become a registrar can already be submitted using the recently launched website of.SO Registry.[1]

Transfer[edit]

On July 8, 2015, the.so ccTLD registry was transferred to the Somali Network Information Center (SONIC).[16] On March 9, 2018, Somalia's newly established telecom regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA) took control of the domain name from SONIC and Cloudy Registry, who ran the operations and the management of the domain Registry.[6][17]Somalilandbanned use of this TLD as a result of the 2018 transfer.[18]

Name spaces[edit]

The.so domain currently offers thirteen namespaces: the second-level-space.sois intended for general purpose usage, and the third-level-space.so,.me.so,.net.soand.org.soare set aside for commercial entities, individuals, networks, and not-for-profit organisations, respectively.[19]There also exists.edu.sofor higher education institutions;.gov.sofor government entities;.sch.sofor schools;[20]and.gm.so,.hs.so,.jl.so,.pl.so,and.sw.soforGalmudug,Hirshabelle,Jubbaland,Puntland,andSouth Weststates respectively.

Registrars[edit]

SONIC maintains a list of officially accredited local[21]and international[22]registrars.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"SO Registry".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-10-31.Retrieved2010-09-18.
  2. ^"Migration - SONIC".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-07-22.Retrieved2015-07-22.
  3. ^"OpenProvider: Upcoming Changes to SO Domains".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-07-22.Retrieved2015-07-22.
  4. ^".so domain names".Gandi.net.Retrieved2022-02-25.
  5. ^"About.so Domains".uk.godaddy.
  6. ^ab"Somalia's new telecom regulator takes control of top-level domain - Xinhua | English.news.cn".Archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2018.
  7. ^"IANA |.so - Somalia".2007-10-23. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-10-23.Retrieved2022-02-25.
  8. ^".so Domain Delegation Data".iana.org.Archived fromthe originalon October 23, 2007.RetrievedMarch 30,2024.
  9. ^"Monolith Internet Services".1998-01-22. Archived fromthe originalon 22 January 1998.Retrieved2022-02-25.
  10. ^"Monolith Internet Services".1998-01-22. Archived fromthe originalon 22 January 1998.Retrieved2022-02-25.
  11. ^"Monolith Network Status".1998-12-01. Archived fromthe originalon 1 December 1998.Retrieved2022-02-25.
  12. ^"Monolith Interim Services".1998-12-12. Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 1998.Retrieved2022-02-25.
  13. ^"NIC.SO".2000-10-24. Archived fromthe originalon 24 October 2000.Retrieved2022-02-25.
  14. ^"NIC.SO".2005-02-20. Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2005.Retrieved2022-02-25.
  15. ^"Preliminary Report Resolutions of Special Board Meeting - ICANN".icann.org.Retrieved2022-02-25.
  16. ^"Migration".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-07-22.Retrieved2015-07-22.
  17. ^"NCA Takes Full Control of Somalia's ccTLD (DotSO)".
  18. ^"Somaliland retaliates top-level domain take-over, bans dotSo extensions".Goobjoog News English.11 March 2018.Retrieved9 October2021.
  19. ^".SO Registry".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-10-31.Retrieved9 Sep2014.
  20. ^"sch.so".
  21. ^"Local Registrars".sonic.so.20 September 2023.
  22. ^"International Registrars".sonic.so.20 September 2023.

External links[edit]

Media related to.soat Wikimedia Commons

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