National Communications Authority (NCA)
Public Notice
Introduction:
The National Communication Authority (NCA) is the current registry managing Agency for the .SS domain name and by this notice, it wishes to inform the general public of the launching phases and procedure of the.SS domain name.
The registration process will go through three phases as outlined below before it reaches the general availability period, this process shall take 90 calendar days.
The 90 days period shall be divided as follows:-
1.Sunrise period: The Sunrise Period is a limited pre-registration period and is the mandatory first phase of all new Top Level Domains (TLDs) launching. Sunrise is the right time to register brand names as domains. This period allows trademark owners the opportunity to secure their trademark on the new country code top level domain name (ccTLD) .SS. The Sunrise period is 45-day phase during which trademark owners can purchase domain names before they are offered to the general public. This period is managed by the registry closely through accredited registrars.
NB: Trademark owners have to prove their ownership of the domain name associated to their domain name.
2. Landrush period: The Landrush (30-day)period allows registrants to apply to register for a domain name prior to General Availability (GA), but at a higher price there are no trademark requirements for applications during the Landrush period though existing trademarks claims are taken into consideration. If there is a contest on a domain name at this period auctioning will be conducted and the highest bidder will take over the claimed domain name.
- Early Access period: This period is reserved for those who wish to access domain names which are not in the premium domains list and are not yet registered in the registry. This period will run for 10 days before General Availability period and will allow registrants to order for domain names to be registered right when the launch starts. An additional 1 time cost will be incurred by the registrant to reserve a domain name to be registered right after launching.4. General Availability (GA): Once a new TLD is GA, it has officially launched and is available to the public for registration.
Details Table:-
| S/N | Period Name | Duration | Comments |
| 1 | Sunrise | 45 Days | Managed closely by the registry (NCA) through registrars. |
| 2 | Landrush | 30 Days | Non-trademarks apply for domain names at premium prices before General Availability period. |
| 3 | Early Access | 10 Days | Early access for names at near premium rate. An additional 1 time cost will be incurred by the registrant to reserve a domain name to be registered right after launching. |
| 4 | General Availability (GA) | Open to general public | Open registration commences. |
NB: All the domains which are listed in the Premium Domain Names List prepared by the registry will not be access until the 90 days period elapses and then the registry shall either develop its own auctioning platform or procure the service of a credible domain name auctioning platform where Premium names shall be auction and sold to the highest bidder at first come first serve basis.
DotSS zones details:
| S/N | Zone | Use | Type |
| 1 | .com.ss | For companies and commercial entities. | Open |
| 2 | .net.ss | For network operators, ISPs and infrastructure providers only | Open |
| 3 | .biz.ss | For any business | Open |
| 4 | .org.ss | For South Sudan NGOs only. | Provide Proof of registration |
| 5 | edu.ss | South Sudan Higher Education only | Closed |
| 6 | sch.ss | South Sudan Secondary, Primary Schools only | Provide proof of registration |
| 7 | gov.ss | South Sudan Government entities only | Official request letter. |
| 8 | me.ss | Personal sites | Open |
NB: – Registrations under the second level domain i.e. directly under .SS top-level-domain is not open for now and will be made available at a later stage.
| Period | Start Date | End Date | Duration |
| Sunrise | 1st/June/2020 | 15th/July/2020 | 45 Days |
| Landrush | 17st/July/2020 | 17th/August/2020 | 30 Days |
| Early Access | 19st/August/2020 | 29th/August/2020 | 10 Days |
| General Availability | 1st/September/2020 | N/A | N/A |
TimeLine Table for registrations:-
All domain name registrations are to be done directly through NCA accredited registrars; except for (.gov.ss) government institutions they can contact the registry directly.
For more information visit the registry’s website at http://nic.ss.
Or contact us through the following: –
Email: info@nca.gov.ss / technical@nic.ss
Phone: +211922338781
Physical Address: 2nd Floor, Telecom House, Gumbo
Juba-South Sudan.
Note: The public notice above is an official communication from the National Communication Authority (NCA), Its content is as exactly as published by the NCA. Dynamic Consult is a consumer of the information and we find it important to share it with the general public.
