.durban Pre-Register Domain - .durban Domain Information

Introduction: Mission, Vision and Purpose:


UniForum SA is a non-profit company incorporated in South Africa and trading as the .ZA Central Registry ("ZACR"). The ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) is the South African ccTLD Manager established in terms of Chapter X of the Electronic Communications and Transactions (ECT) Act of South Africa to manage and regulate the ZA ccTLD, and to develop the domain name industry in South Africa.

As the exclusive domain name authority of South Africa, ZADNA appointed UniForum SA to serve as the ZA Central Registry and provide a centralised platform for the operation of ZA second level domains such as co.za, net.za, org.za and web.za. ZADNA has, with the support of the Department of Communications, officially appointed UniForum SA to apply for, manage and administer the dotDurban gTLD. This forms part of the national domain name strategy aimed at ensuring that South Africa's three major cities - Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg are at the forefront of digital innovation and leadership.

In this application the Applicant may be referred to as UniForum SA, the ZA Central Registry or simply ZACR.

The ZACR, ZADNA and the Department of Communications, share a collective vision of establishing and running a successful dotDurban registry operation for the benefit and pride of those who identify themselves with the city of Durban.

Our primary objective and mission can, therefore, be summarised as follows: "To establish a world class, best-practice dotDurban gTLD registry that complies with internationally recognised domain name registry standards and technology, utilising national know-how and funding, for the benefit and pride of all persons and entities identifying with and supporting Durban".

Our mission is to establish the dotDurban TLD as a proud identifier of Durban's online identity, fairly reflecting the city's rich cultural, social and economic diversity and potential. In essence we will strive to develop and position the dotDurban TLD as the preferred option for individuals and businesses either based in Durban or with strong associations with the city and its people. More especially, the dotDurban TLD will help boost South Africa's tourism development strategy concerning the city of Durban, promote talent and create new revenue streams.

Building a dotDurban Brand Identity

- Creating a unique On-Line Identity
- Benefiting South Africa
- Building a Global Brand
• Durban
• Differentiating dotDurban from other major cities
• Marketing, Communications and Public Relations
- Registry Operations
- Financial Aspects

Creating a unique On-Line Identity

dotDurban will provide a gTLD that gives the City of Durban a clear, distinct online identity.

The dotDurban TLD will provide the following added benefits:

- Give local and international businesses, organisations and individuals an opportunity to secure domain names that identify them with Durban.
- Enable the Durban Municipality to group all its services and entities under the dotDurban TLD, thus effectively carrying and promoting Durban as a brand.
- Provide South African and Durban tourism bodies an opportunity to group their products and services specific to Durban under the dotDurban TLD.
- Enable ZADNA and the South African government to implement a domain name strategy that ensures local geo-gTLDs are complementary to ZA and enjoy an economies of scale advantages of being operated from a reliable, secure and robust registry infrastructure

Benefitting the City of Durban and the South African Internet Community Nationally and Globally

In essence, dotDurban will benefit registrants particularly in and around Durban in particular to have websites that bear the name of their city, and automatically identify their geographic location.

Local and international organisations and businesses trading in and around Durban will be able to have websites that clearly identify Durban as their area of business. Local communities will be able to use dotDurban to brand and position their community projects better than other gTLDs.

Competition:

In the case of the South African market, dotDurban will give registrants a more identifiable geographic identity than the general ZA. It will also mean registrants that lost out on their most preferred domain names in ZA and other TLDs can now have an opportunity to register such names and enjoy the reputation and commercial credibility that comes with doing business in, or being identified with, Durban - South Africa's economic hub.

dotDurban is not meant to be positioned as competing with ZA. Instead it is meant to complement ZA in the sense that it will be run from a ZA infrastructure and use ZA policies as far as these are in line with ICANN requirements.

In essence, the population of the City of Durban is estimated to be around 3,5 million. This implies that ZADNA does not primarily see dotDurban as a gTLD for high registration numbers. Rather, ZADNA primarily sees dotDurban as an enabler of more focused online identity and innovation for the communities and businesses around Durban.

From this perspective, ZADNA intends to have ZACR operate dotDurban on a non-profit, cost recovery basis, and intends subsidizing its operations (including ICANN fees) from the ZA domain name fees.


Differentiation:

The important and most obvious advantage dotDurban gives is clear differentiation, in particular for local and international businesses trading in or with Durban. For the Durban City Municipality, dotDurban provides it with the opportunity to house all its websites, entities and services under one gTLD bearing its name: dotDurban.

For national government, dotDurban allows it to be able to have dotDurban websites for all its projects, programmes, services and divisions servicing or located in and around Durban.

As a geographic indicator, the dotDurban TLD will automatically assume the reputation and goodwill of the region it represents. In the mind of the user, Africa represents a unique part of the world, with unique people, challenges and prospects. dotDurban, as a TLD, therefore presents an opportunity to engage with the region and its people, thereby potentially unlocking the economic and social potential of a vast and diverse city.


Innovation:

Innovation possibilities for dotDurban are expected to be material. dotDurban will allow local communities in and around Durban to group certain websites under the name "Durban". For example, the domain name "umlazi.Durban" can allow businesses in Umlazi to have 3rd level registrations identifying them clearly to be based in Umlazi, Durban.

Think of the uShaka Marine World having ushaka.ethekwini.Durban, while the famous restaurants, shops and guesthouses can all benefit from websites such as restaurantA.ethekwini.Durban, shopB.ethekwini.Durban and guesthouseC.ethekwini.Durban.

Such innovation potential, therefore, opens up entrepreneurship opportunities. dotDurban registrants can become second level "registries" and "registrars", and sell domain names at the third level.

In addition, dotDurban allows for the allocation of certain domain names to specific organisations and communities to use for running websites. In this sense, the allocated names can be required to have active, dynamic content to ensure the visibility of dotDurban online.

ZADNA intends to reserve a limited number of premium names and to use these to generate content that will ensure the online visibility of dotDurban.


(B) The Development of the Local Domain Name Entrepreneur Market:

In the event that the dotDurban gTLD is awarded to the ZACR then the dotDurban TLD is intended to result in the expansion of the South African local Registrar and Reseller market. The initial opportunity will exist through dotDurban Registrants being able to sell 3rd level registrations. For example, the Soweto.Durban Registrant may sell names to businesses and organisations in Soweto. This possibility means that dotDurban may open up business opportunities for secondary "Registrars" and Resellers at the 2nd level.

In addition, the dotDurban Registrants can become second level Registry operators without having to comply with any more formality than simply obtaining a dotDurban name.

These possibilities are intended to gradually use dotDurban to encourage local domain name entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to the level where they can obtain ICANN Registrar Accreditation.

(C) The Development of Durban Online Content:

The dotDurban project is a fantastic opportunity to drive content development focusing specifically on the City of Durban. In essence, in order to kick-start this process and achieve some level of critical mass, the ZACR will reserve (pre-register) certain high-search value names and then utilise these, either on its own or through strategic partnerships with content providers, to develop online content and services.

Some of the broad objectives of this development initiative are to:

- encourage existing city and the broader South African communities and service providers to associate their content with the dotDurban TLD (and, if possible, to customise it) in order to better engage with this user community. Potential targets for this initiative include South African government departments and agencies, large multi-national and parastatal organisations as well as the broader African internet community.

- develop strategic partnerships and associations with existing, well-established international online content and related services providers, to encourage and assist them to develop and customise their products and services specifically for the South African market. Potential targets for this initiative include social media platforms, search engines providers, and leisure and business service providers.

- establish partnerships and associations with South African and international service providers and businesses with the potential and capacity to develop sound business models for developing and driving online content and services; and assist them by making available high-search value names, start-up funding, technical support and mentoring, etc.

Building a Global Brand with a Focus on Durban and South Africa:

Marketing, Communication and Public Relations:

The aim of marketing and communication is to create awareness of the dotDurban gTLD and to rally support by keeping stakeholders engaged with the process.

The marketing of the dotDurban brand will occur in terms of a defined strategy based on the following internal values:

- managing competitive advantage by striving to provide value to stakeholders and users (governments, businesses and individuals within Africa and abroad), by engaging in focussed, time-based marketing strategies to develop and enhance the dotDurban brand in South Africa and abroad. Innovation is key to the success of the dotDurban domain namespace;

- viewing change as an opportunity by recognising the fluidity in the Internet environment as an opportunity and not a threat, in order to improve processes, systems and culture relevant to the dotDurban domain namespace;

- developing a strategically managed enterprise by establishing an innovative, well governed and transparent organisation with effective systems, excellent staff and shared values.

The Marketing Campaign will focus on the following strengths:

- the availability of sufficient funding and other resources;
- an able, skilled and qualified management team;
- already available infrastructure and hardware;
- sustainable and strong partnerships in the DNS industry;
- a clear vision of the market need for dotDurban;
- the know-how to implement and operate the registry services.
- a city that serves as the third largest economic hub of South Africa

Target Market:
The purpose of dotDurban is not primarily to generate profits, although this may be explored over time. The purpose is to provide a unique online identity for the City of Durban using the ZA registry infrastructure.

However, ZADNA will incorporate dotDurban within its ongoing marketing, communications and awareness campaigns. The gTLD will be communicated and positioned as being a complementary string to ZA, but with a specific focus to Durban - South Africa's third economic hub.

Outreach activities will be primarily focused to businesses, organisations and communities in and around Durban, as these are the markets with a great potential for the growth of dotDurban.

ZADNA's plan to reserve a limited number of premium names to use them to generate content that will ensure visibility of dotDurban on the Internet should help in creating online awareness of the advent of the dotDurban gTLD.

Emphasis will be on utilising the most appropriate and available media tools depending on access to them by the target market identified above. The vast target market needs to be segmented, in order to develop key messaging for each market sector and to determine our ‘Go to market' strategy.

A dotDurban domain name is the perfect platform for global branding, marketing, and visibility with a focus on customers and markets in South Africa and internationally. This can help increase tourism, build and enhance international business relationships with the city as well as South Africa, and boost economic benefits. In fact, the very act of registering a dotDurban domain name tells the world that this is a registrant proud of its association with the city of Durban and deserving of recognition.


Value proposition
Durban is s the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism because of the cityʹs warm subtropical climate and extensive beaches. The municipality, which includes neighbouring towns, has a population of almost 3.5 million, making the combined municipality the biggest city on the east coast of the African continent.
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The Durban Metropolitan Area (DMA) has a large and diversified economy with strong manufacturing, tourism, transportation, finance and government sectors. Its coastal location and large port gives it comparative advantage over many other centres in South Africa for export-related industry. Durbanʹs mild climate, warm marine current and culturally diverse population has also provided a drawcard for tourism to the region.

dotDurban presents a great opportunity for the city of Durban to differentiate itself from other major cities, and to provide innovative potential socially, economically and politically.

Marketing and Communication Platforms:
The marketing and communication campaign for dotDurban will utilise a number of communication platforms to create awareness and communicate with the various stakeholders, including:
- Facebook & Twitter: for instant real time communication with all stakeholders;
o facebook.com/dotDurban
o twitter.com/dotDurban
- dotDurban website: for information and regular news feeds;

PR platforms:
These platforms will be used to disseminate press releases and publicity information to external stakeholders. Traditional media such as newspapers, and radio will be used to spread the dotDurban message, and also digital media platforms.


Registry Operations:

From a technical/operational perspective the dotDurban TLD registry will operate on the Extensible Provisioning Protocol platform, which is an internationally accepted standard for registry functions across the world and which has the flexibility to incorporate extensions such as DNSSEC and extensions pertaining to domain specific policy requirements.

The dotDurban registry platform is wholly developed, maintained and hosted in South Africa. The applicant has a highly experienced team of experts dedicated to the on going development, maintenance, administration and training of the core registry services, including the back and front office support functions. The dotDurban registry platform, which has been developed, implemented and maintained on the back of over 17 years registry experience by the Applicant (ZACR), also provides WHOIS services, Secure EPP Message Handling, DNS and DNSSEC services. A key point of the registry system is the flexible Policy Integration and configuration independent of the core development team.

Being part of the global DNS environment and subscribing to international best practices and procedures, the dotDurban registry platform also integrates with specialist 3rd party DNS related systems and services, which when viewed collectively, provides a mature comprehensive, well-balanced world-class registry solution for dotDurban.

External systems and services compliant with industry best practises and ICANN requirements include:
- Data Escrow services.
- Anycast and Unicast services.
- Off-site Hot Standby Failover Hosting.

Apart from providing a platform for growth of the ccTLD and registrar communities, the registry solution (which is more fully described in the technical submissions) allows registrars access to a number of key services including an automated Registrar Accreditation Process, Issue reporting and tracking, a Registry Notification Portal, and a secure flexible interface for retrieving financial statements and invoices. This allows for the registration and maintenance of domain names by registrars and results in ease of domain registration for registrants. More importantly it provides a registry platform that promotes simple, accessible, secure, accurate and abuse free domain registration by registrars and ultimately the end user.

The dotDurban TLD registry function will be managed in a way that is service driven, secure and stable.

Registration Policy:

The dotDurban registration policy will be established, implemented and maintained through the ZACR as an unrestricted gTLD under the ICANN framework. The registration policy will be based on the premise that it will set out the technical and administrative procedures and criteria used by the registry with regards to domain name registrations or requests for such registrations, including cancellations, transfers, suspensions, revocations, etc. The policy will be informed and guided by the consensus-driven policies and procedures developed through the ICANN multi-stakeholder process.

Although a comprehensive final registration policy must still be approved, the broad parameters of the registration policy will include the following:


a. Eligibility

dotDurban will be available to all interested parties. A limited opportunity will be given to Durban Municipality to reserve a number of names for its entities and projects during the sunrise phase. A similar opportunity will be given to the South African national government.

b. First-come, first-served

Following the Sunrise and Land Rush periods, registrations will generally be delegated on a "first-come-first-served" basis upon the payment of requisite fees.

c. Renewal

dotDurban names shall be renewed on an annual basis on the anniversary of the registration. ZACR may, in consultation with ZADNA and ICANN, decide to allow for multiple year registration and renewal, but this shall not exceed more than 3 years.

d. Registrar services

Domain names will be registered through ICANN-accredited registrars. Each registrar will be required to pay an upfront deposit, which shall not be less than R250.00. Each registrar shall ensure that the minimum deposit available at any given time is not less than R250.

e. Determination of fees

ZADNA, in consultation with ICANN and ZACR, will determine dotDurban domain name fees. Any fee changes shall be upon a minimum notice of 3 months.

f. Policy development

ZADNA is responsible for developing and reviewing dotDurban policies and shall manage this responsibility in consultation with ZACR and ICANN.

g. IDNs

There is no plan to secure an IDN version of doDurban.

Privacy protection

The establishment, implementation and maintenance of a privacy policy for the dotDurban TLD will be based on international best practices as well as local and international standards and requirements. The registry will strive to protect the rights and privacy of all individuals or companies associated with dotDurban TLD names. dotDurban names will be publicly accessible through a dotDurban Whois according to ICANN's Whois specifications. Registrars will be allowed to provide private registration services.

Financial Aspects:

The ZACR, throughout its over 17 years of administering the successful CO.ZA domain in South Africa, has demonstrated an ability and capacity to manage and administer its financial affairs in a professional and transparent manner.

The ZACR has managed to keep the fees charged to registrars highly competitive and within reasonable international parameters. Simultaneously it has generated reasonable surplus funds, not only to provide a suitable operating buffer for the efficient and effective operation of the registry, but also to fund social development initiatives and projects.

The ZACR will, under the scrutiny and oversight of ZADNA apply similar financial disciplines and procedure to the administration of the dotDurban TLD. As outlined above, the operating revenues generated through the administration of the dotDurban TLD will be accounted for in accordance with national and internationally-accepted accounting practices.

The financial parameters and policies to run the dotDurban TLD must still be finalised and approved by the ZADNA in consultation with the ZACR.

Rights Protection:
- Reserved Name Lists (Pre-Sunrise)
- Sunrise
- Post Delegation Dispute Resolution

The ZACR is committed to protecting the rights of governments, registrars, end users and the greater Internet community against fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices that may arise within the dotDurban TLD. Abusive practices will be minimized through the following initiatives:

(A) Pre-Sunrise:
A pre-sunrise process will take place prior to the full-scale implementation of the Sunrise and Land-rush Policy applicable to the dotDurban TLD. This is significant as it will provide South African government departments and government organisations, a window of opportunity to compile and submit a list of names that must be reserved or blocked from registration. These names may be of an offensive nature or relate to cultural sensitivities within the South African context.

The Pre-Sunrise process will be administered by ZADNA and be subject to all reservations prescribed by ICANN (included but not limited to reservations regarding the label ‘example', two character labels, tagged domain names, prescribed registry operation names, country and territory names, etc.) as well as the GAC principles regarding new TLDS.

Names placed on the Reserve Lists will only be available to pre-defined Applicants who will be expected to apply for the names within a period of time prescribed by ZADNA.

(B) Sunrise:
A phase-based Sunrise procedure, with associated auction processes, will be implemented to allow established South African brands and trademark holders to register their corresponding domains within the dotDurban TLD. ZADNA must still approve a Sunrise Policy, which must cater for the following periods:
- Sunrise 1, which provides priority for eligible owners of trademarks registered in Africa to obtain corresponding domains names.
- Sunrise 2, which allows eligible owners of trademarks to obtain corresponding domains names.

The ZACR with guidance from ZADNA will appoint an independent entity or entities to provide certain rights protection services which may include inter alia verification, validation, and dispute resolution services related to the eligibility of trademarks. In this regard the ZACR will endeavour to engage the services the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (www.SAIIPL.org.za) concerning the establishment and implementation of alternate dispute resolution mechanisms in ZA.

The final Sunrise Policy will also provide further details and clarity on Sunrise Eligibility Requirements (SERs) and a dedicated dispute resolution policy and mechanism for this phase.

(C) Land Rush
Just as in the Sunrise period, Land Rush will be implemented over several phases and will be administered through the ZACR's Registrar Web Portal. ZADNA must still draft and approve a Land Rush Policy, which caters for the 3 Land Rush Phases, namely:
- The first phase is the "Introductory Land Rush Period" and will see premium domain names made available for purchase for certain periods at time at a certain minimum prices which will decrease as the periods progress. Where there is more than one party interested in the same domain name, that domain name will be referred to auction.
- The second phase is the "Initiation Land Rush Period". This period will last for an estimated 14 days and will also be administered through the Registrar Web Portal. A minimum fee (roughly R300 - R500) will apply to registrations during this period. Multiple applications for the same domain name during this period will also be resolved using an auction process. Undisputed applications will be allocated at the end of the period.
- Depending on the decision made by ZADNA, the ZACR may elect to implement a "Limited Availability Operational Phase", following on from the Initiation Land Rush period. This mechanism, which will endure for a limited time (0-14 days) will be to place any newly requested domain name (application) in a reserved queue for a short period. If any additional applications for the same domain name are received during this period then the domain will enter a Land Rush auction for a maximum predetermined period. At the end of the period the bids will be collected and the winner determined. This process, or a process similar to this, may also be introduced by the ZACR on an adhoc basis to mitigate the effects of multiple applications for the same name following domain release as well as spontaneous applications due to international events or announcements

(D) All Rights Protection Mechanisms prescribed by ICANN will be implemented. In particular, the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS) will be adopted. Initially, Examiners accredited by ICANN appointed Dispute Resolution Service Providers (according to the Applicant Guidebook Module 3, paragraph 3.2.3) will be requested to make findings in URS applications, but the Registry hopes to arrange for the appointment of a board of suitably qualified Examiners particularly in Africa to make findings in these matters.

In the case where a Post Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (PDDRP) is initiated following allegations that the Registry profited from a bad faith registration, the Registry undertakes to participate in the procedure and be bound by the determination made. This will be specifically included in the agreement with prospective applicants for domain names in this TLD. Providers accredited by ICANN as Dispute Resolution Service Providers (according to the Applicant Guidebook Module 3, paragraph 3.2.3) will initially be requested to stand as Providers in PDDRP applications, but the Registry hopes to arrange for the appointment of a board of suitably qualified Examiners particularly in Africa to make findings in these matters.

Provision will also be made to file initial complaints that the Registry has not complied with registry restrictions through a Whois Data Problem Report System (WDPRS) through InterNIC.net at a nominal, non-refundable fee. If a complainant is not satisfied that the Registry has complied with its requirements, the matter may be escalated using the RRDRP.

In the case of Registry Restrictions Dispute Resolutions Procedures (RRDRP), the Registry undertakes to participate in the procedure and be bound by the determination made. This will be specifically included in the agreement with prospective applicants for domain names in this TLD. Providers accredited by ICANN as Dispute Resolution Service Providers (according to the Applicant Guidebook Module 3, paragraph 3.2.3) will initially be requested to stand as Providers in RRDRP applications, but the Registry hopes to arrange for the appointment of a board of suitably qualified Examiners particularly in Africa to make findings in these matters.

A dedicated online advisory / complaints portal will be created and end-users will have access to email, telephone and fax contact details of an appointed Complaints Officer who will attend to complaints directly or escalate them to the relevant divisions within the registry for resolution. A comprehensive Complaints Handling Policy, that sets out inter alia the scope and ambit of complaints that will be dealt with; the process that must be followed to deal with domain related complaints; and the course of action that the registry may take to deal with complaints depending on their nature, will also be drafted in consultation with ZADNA.

(E) ZADNA, will play a determining role in defining policy and determining pricing mechanisms within the dotDurban TLD. The scope and mandate of ZADNA will include the review and authorisation of various pricing models, including multi-year (1 - 10 years) pricing, bulk discounts and prices changes. ZADNA will consider the input and comments of the Registry Operator, Registrars, the broader Internet community and other factors concerning the affordability and competitiveness of the TLD in determining policy, prices and/or or price changes.

ZADNA will, after due consideration and where circumstances reasonably allow, first publish a proposed policy or price update schedule for public comment on the Registry's website and will also circulate this to the Registrar mailing lists. The proposed update schedule will also include a description of the implementation roadmap for these changes to come into effect and prescribe a deadline for further comments and objections to be submitted for consideration.

Upon final review, taking into account the input provided and objections raised during the public inspection period, ZADNA will provide a final policy to the Registry Operator for implementation in the manner prescribed. The Registry Provider will then publish the policy on its website and duly inform all accredited Registrars and ICANN of the policy change. The Registry Operator will then ensure that the policy is implemented as published.

The ZACR is cognizant of the GAC advice in their management of second level domain name registrations and confirms it will comply with Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement.

Specification 5 of the New gTLD Registry Agreement initially reserves at the 2nd and all other levels within the TLD:
• Country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list
• UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardisation of Geographical Names, Part II Names of Countries of the World, and
• The list of UN member states in 6 official UN languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names

In accordance with the provisos contained in Specification 5, such names may be released if the Registry Operator reaches agreement with the applicable government and/or the Registry Operator proposes release of the reserved name(s) subject to review by GAC and approved by ICANN.

The Registry will work cooperatively with ICANN to ensure that the 2nd and subsequent levels of the proposed TLD comply with expressed public policies and goals and in particular the following:

1. It is worth to be noted and as documented by ICANN that rights of governments or public authorities in relation to the rights of the sovereign state or territory which they represent cannot be limited or made conditional by any procedures that ICANN introduces to new gTLDs. The ZACR will follow the GAC public process relating to geographic names.

2. The ZACR will use the existing recognised international lists as prescribed by ICANN. The lists will be reserved at the second level at no cost for the governments of the dotDurban TLD. It will be the prerogative of the relevant governments to adopt procedures that allow for applicants to register names from any of the lists.

3. Before starting the registration operations, the ZACR will adopt the initial registration policy for the dotDurban TLD in consultation with the South African Domain Name (ZADNA) and other interested parties. The ZACR will implement in the registration policy the public policy rules pursuant to the agreement between the ZADNA and the ZACR taking into account the exception lists and the GAC process as prescribed in the principles regarding new gTLDs.