Tanzania Government Demands Businesses Registered in the Country Use .TZ Domains

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The Tanzania government through the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) yesterday published a public notice in dailies reminding business entities registered in the country they should have and use dot(.) tz domain names. TCRA said the notice seeks to ensure businesses comply with regulatory requirements and contribute to national revenue.  The notice does not however restrict the ownership of other domains meaning an organization operating in Tanzania with a  .com, .net, .org, or any other domain ending then you are required to register a respective .tz domain name. The price of a .TZ domain is 25,000/- per annum (Kshs. 1154).

The Tanzania Network Information Center (tzNic) serves as the national registrar of all .TZ domains for TCRA as well as both as the technical and administrative Manager of dot-tz. TzNic will every three months submit the information on IP addresses and domains registered to TACRA in line with these requirements.  The regulations also require the use of .tz addresses in electronic communication and all official correspondences unless where proven technically impossible.

This directive however goes against the ICANN objective of increasing competition and consumer choice in the name space. ICANN recently opened its first African engagement office in Nairobi. The office looks to drive engagement and increase participation of stakeholders in the African continent. ICANN is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world. It coordinates the internet’s naming system through domains and IP addresses.