The administration of the country code Top Level Domain of Mauritius (.mu ccTLD) is now under the supervision of the Government, following the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday between the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Mr. Asraf Dulull, and the trustee of the .mu TLD and Manager of Internet Direct Ltd, M. Yan Kwok.
It is to be recalled that at the Forum for African Policy Makers and Regulators on Internet Governance held on 17-19 March 2009 in Mauritius, delegates from across the African continent highlighted the need for country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) to be hosted locally by each country. Hence, the signature of the MoU sees the administrative responsibilities for .mu being transferred from Mr Kwok to Mauritius. This will give government leverage in the management of the ccTLD in line with its e-strategy to make ICT one of the main economic pillars of the economy.
The administration of .mu will be based on a shared registry model involving separateness of policy development, technical operation and commercial exploitation. This initiative will ensure that the management of .mu is aligned with international best practice and local legislation.
As such, a new .mu administration framework based on independent multi-stakeholder representation comprising Government, private sector, academia, NGOs and civil society will be set up. The multi-stakeholder organisation will be non-profit and shall not be involved with the commercial aspect in order to ensure full transparency and greater accountability towards both the local and global Internet community as well as to avoid conflict of interest.
A pool of registrars will be responsible for the commercial exploitation of .mu in such a way as to allow for competition and foster innovation. The technical operation of the ccTLD will be handled by the current registry operator to ensure stability and interoperability with the global Internet. The country will soon house the technical infrastructure, with the appropriate global redundancy.
The administration of the ccTLD by the country is deemed as a key policy issue for the development of e-services. One of the main outcomes is that it will provide the country with an identity in cyberspace since registration, renewal, suspension of domain names and disputes arising under the .mu will be subject to local legislation. Interests of users will also be safeguarded as administration under local supervision will render the process of allocation of Internet domain names under .mu quick and affordable. In the long run, the .mu ccTLD is expected to become the obvious choice for all Internet users residing in Mauritius.
It is to be recalled that at the Forum for African Policy Makers and Regulators on Internet Governance held on 17-19 March 2009 in Mauritius, delegates from across the African continent highlighted the need for country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) to be hosted locally by each country. Hence, the signature of the MoU sees the administrative responsibilities for .mu being transferred from Mr Kwok to Mauritius. This will give government leverage in the management of the ccTLD in line with its e-strategy to make ICT one of the main economic pillars of the economy.
The administration of .mu will be based on a shared registry model involving separateness of policy development, technical operation and commercial exploitation. This initiative will ensure that the management of .mu is aligned with international best practice and local legislation.
As such, a new .mu administration framework based on independent multi-stakeholder representation comprising Government, private sector, academia, NGOs and civil society will be set up. The multi-stakeholder organisation will be non-profit and shall not be involved with the commercial aspect in order to ensure full transparency and greater accountability towards both the local and global Internet community as well as to avoid conflict of interest.
A pool of registrars will be responsible for the commercial exploitation of .mu in such a way as to allow for competition and foster innovation. The technical operation of the ccTLD will be handled by the current registry operator to ensure stability and interoperability with the global Internet. The country will soon house the technical infrastructure, with the appropriate global redundancy.
The administration of the ccTLD by the country is deemed as a key policy issue for the development of e-services. One of the main outcomes is that it will provide the country with an identity in cyberspace since registration, renewal, suspension of domain names and disputes arising under the .mu will be subject to local legislation. Interests of users will also be safeguarded as administration under local supervision will render the process of allocation of Internet domain names under .mu quick and affordable. In the long run, the .mu ccTLD is expected to become the obvious choice for all Internet users residing in Mauritius.
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