Dot.joburg coming soon

South Africans can change their e-mail addresses and websites from dot.co.za to dot.joburg, dot.capetown and dot.durban from October.

The three domains are expected to be launched on June 1, with provincial government and municipalities choosing new website and e-mail addresses first.

"The launch is phased," said Vika Mpisane, chief executive of South Africa's domain name authority Zadna.

"The man on the street won't be able to get a ZAdotCities name in June. Before we launch, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers requires that, for a geographic name, you must allow relevant government entities to reserve names. We have a reserve name list that will be entered into the database."

Zadna paid at least R1.9-million for each of the three applications to US-based internet organising body Icann.

Mpisane said trademark owners would be given an opportunity in the second phase to register their branded websites.

The premium name phase will follow, with Zadna selling the generic of high search values such as www.business.durban to the highest bidder.

"Then the real public launch will come, with businesses and members of the public buying their own websites with dot.durban, dot.capetown and dot.joburg domains for R180 per year," he said.

Mpisane said dot.durban has already undergone Icann's pre-delegation testing to see if its infrastructure responded.

"Our target is June 1. But it is dependent on Icann's pre-delegation testing process as Joburg and Cape Town are on the verge of starting the test," he said.

In 2011, Icann called for applications for new internet name space.

Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, New York, London, Luanda, Amsterdam and others immediately applied.

Mpisane said cities had to show that they had set aside about R3-million towards running the internet name space.

He said the new domains will also allow the cities to rally their communities behind the location's identity.

"Anyone who lives in Cape Town or even in any other part of South Africa or the world who cares about Cape Town can have a Cape Town e-mail address," he said.