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.za back-end deal up for grabs
Kevin Murphy,
August 17, 2021, 16:28:30 (UTC),
Domain Registries
South African domain authority ZADNA has let it be known that it’s opening up the .za back-end contract to bids.
In a notice posted last week, the organization said that it’s told current operator ZACR that its contract will be terminated in six months, and that it will have to compete for a new one.
ZADNA had the option to extend the contract, which was signed in 2012, for another five years but has evidently chosen not to do so.
Still, ZACR has the twin benefits of incumbency and a home-field advantage — ZADNA says “the operation of the .ZA registry
infrastructure is geographically located in South Africa”.
Money might be a factor in play — the current wholesale registry fee for .co.za, .org.za and .net.za domains is ZAR 55 ($3.70), of which ZAR 15 ($1) is given to ZADNA. This mix is open to change under the rebid.
The organization has published a detailed request for information (pdf) explaining what it’s looking for, which will be followed by a formal request for proposals.
ZACR’s contract is due to end next April. ZADNA says it has no intention of bringing the registry in-house.
.za has 1.2 million domains and over 600 registrars.
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