Introduced | 25 March 1994 |
---|---|
TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
Status | Active |
Registry | Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority |
Sponsor | Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority |
Intended use | Entities connected with Zambia |
Actual use | Gets some use in Zambia, although .com is more widely used. |
Registration restrictions | Legal entities with a presence in Zambia. |
Structure | Registrations are made at the third level beneath established sub-domains; registered ISPs can register at the second level, although there are some unexplained exceptions to this rule. [1] |
Registry website | ZICTA |
.zm is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Zambia. Registrants of .zm domains must "have a presence in Zambia". [2]
Registrants are required to register domains at the third level under an existing second-level domain (SLD). There are eleven second-level domains: [3]
The designations above are assumed based on observed practices and standard conventions, as ZICTA (the ccTLD registry) do not maintain online documentation codifying this. Most entities will generally register either a .co.zm or .org.zm domain, if they choose to use the ccTLD rather than a generic top-level domain.
The one documented exception to the requirement to register at the third level is that "registered ISPs" [2] may register at the second level—e.g., zamtel.zm. However, there are several undocumented variances to this rule—e.g., the Bank of Zambia's domain is boz.zm, and the regulator (ZICTA) operates under zicta.zm.
ISPs are required to be registered with ZICTA, [2] and only registered ISPs may be accredited as registrars. ZICTA lists ISPs on their website. [4]
A domain name registry is a database of all domain names and the associated registrant information in the top level domains of the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet that enables third party entities to request administrative control of a domain name. Most registries operate on the top-level and second-level of the DNS.
The domain com is a top-level domain (TLD) in the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet. Created in the first group of Internet domains at the beginning of 1985, its name is derived from the word commercial, indicating its original intended purpose for subdomains registered by commercial organizations. Later, the domain opened for general purposes.
.nl is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Netherlands. It is one of the most popular ccTLDs with over six million registered .nl domains as of 29 September 2020.
.eu is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the European Union (EU). Launched on 7 December 2005, the domain is available for any person, company or organization based in the European Union. This was extended to the European Economic Area in 2014, after the regulation was incorporated into the EEA Agreement, and hence is also available for any person, company or organization based in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The TLD is administered by EURid, a consortium originally consisting of the national ccTLD registry operators of Belgium, Sweden, and Italy, joined later by the national registry operator of the Czech Republic. Trademark owners were able to submit registrations through a sunrise period, in an effort to prevent cybersquatting. Full registration started on 7 April 2006.
The domain name gov is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from the word government, indicating its restricted use by government entities. The TLD is administered by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security.
.us is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States. It was established in early 1985. Registrants of .us domains must be U.S. citizens, residents, or organizations – or foreign entities with a presence in the United States or any territory of the United States. Most registrants in the U.S. have registered for .com, .net, .org and other gTLDs, instead of .us, which has primarily been used by state and local governments, even though private entities may also register .us domains. The domain is managed by Registry Services, LLC, a domain name registry, on behalf of the United States Department of Commerce.
.ca is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Canada. The domain name registry that operates it is the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).
.uk is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United Kingdom. It was first registered in July 1985, seven months after the original generic top-level domains such as .com and the first country code after .us.
.ee is the internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of Estonia, operated by the Estonian Internet Foundation.
.ae is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet for the United Arab Emirates. It is administered by .aeDA which is part of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority of UAE (TDRA).
.yu was the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) that was assigned to SFR Yugoslavia in 1989 and was mainly used by Serbia and Montenegro and its two successor states. After Montenegro and Serbia acquired separate .me and .rs domains in 2007, a transition period started, and the .yu domain finally expired in 2010.
.sa is the Latin alphabet Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of Saudi Arabia. Domains of this type can be registered through SaudiNIC, a department of the Communications and Information Technology Commission. The Arabic alphabet ccTLD of Saudi Arabia is السعودية.
.sg is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Singapore. It was first registered in September 1988. It is administered by the Singapore Network Information Centre. Registrations are processed via accredited registrars.
.vi is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
.mx is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Mexico, which in 2009 was re-opened to new registrations by NIC México. In 2009, the .mx ccTLD was rolled out in three steps:
.na is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Namibia corresponding to the two letter code from the ISO-3166 standard.
.sl is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Sierra Leone.
.tz is the Internet country code top-level domain for Tanzania. Through a consultative process, Tanzania Network information Centre (tzNIC), a not-for-profit company was established and registered to administer and manage the operations of the Tanzania country code top-level domain. tzNIC is a limited company with two founding members – the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority and the Tanzania Internet Service Provider Association.
In the Domain Name System (DNS) hierarchy, a second-level domain is a domain that is directly below a top-level domain (TLD). For example, in example.com, example is the second-level domain of the .com TLD.
A country code second-level domain is a second-level domain to a country code top-level domain. Such a domain may be reserved by a domain name registry for the registration of third-level domains, or assigned to a third party as a subdomain.