Public Comment
Draft 2016 African Domain Name System Market Study
Open Date
11 March 2017 23:59 UTC
Close Date
5 May 2017 23:59 UTC
Staff Report Due
19 May 2017 23:59 UTC
Brief Overview
Purpose: The purpose of this public comment proceeding is to seek input and feedback from The Domain Name and Internet Community, interested parties and individuals on the draft 2016 African Domain Name System Market Study Report.
Current Status: The document is currently in its draft format. ICANN is seeking input from the community.
Next Steps: Feedback received will be incorporated into the draft report before the final Study Report is developed.
Section I: Description and Explanation
On Nov 30, 2015, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced a Request for Proposal seeking a provider to conduct a study on the domain name industry in Africa. A consortium led by South Africa Communications Forum (SACF) was later selected to carry out the study.
The goal of this study is to identify and define the strengths and weaknesses in the industry ecosystem within the Africa region and develop recommendations on how to advance the industry and bring it closer to the opportunities available.
At a minimum, the study set to:
- Investigate the current state of the Internet and the domain name industry in the region
- Define best practices that have made an impact in domain name market growth
- Look at the broader ecosystem of the Internet infrastructure and online services and describe the impact of such elements on the overall evolution of the domain name industry
- Describe the business potential in the domain name industry in Africa, and
- Provide suggestions on how to develop the industry and what business models can be adopted in the entire industry chain.
This draft study report includes data, analysis, and recommendations.
Section II: Background
Over 4 years ago, the African community met in Prague (ICANN 44) for a historic meeting chaired by Dr. Steve Crocker and then incoming President and CEO Fadi Chehade. The outcome was a new approach to Africa focused on:
- Developing a framework for ICANN's Africa strategy;
- Supporting stronger ICANN presence in Africa;
- Increasing Africa's participation in ICANN.
The meeting also resulted in the formation of a volunteer, nine-member African Working Group (dubbed Africa Strategy Working Group – ASWG), whose mission was to develop an African strategy. The group was motivated by the realization that Africa lacked commensurate participation in the ICANN ecosystem to compliment her emerging economies. This group developed the first 2012 – 2015 Africa Strategic Plan.
Subsequently, there has been much effort and goodwill in the implementation of this document, which largely focuses on capacity building and increasing awareness about ICANN, Internet governance issues, as well as building a sustainable DNS industry in Africa. ICANN also established its presence in Africa with three dedicated staff members.
However, ICANN received feedback from the community, showing the need for a review of the strategic plan and revisions to some of its objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs). It was imperative that our strategic plan evolve with the needs of the community, while also aligning with the current ICANN 2016-2020 strategic plan.
In response to this clear direction from our community, ICANN Africa team convened a special consultative session during the AFRINIC 21 in November 2014 in Mauritius. The meeting was attended by representatives from AFNOG, AFRINIC, AFTLD, GAC, AFRALO, AFICTA, NEPAD and African Registrars Association. At the end of the meeting, the revised ICANN Africa Strategic Plan Ver 2.0 [PDF, 502 KB] was born.
One of the key projects identified in the revised ICANN Africa Strategic Plan 2016-2020 [PDF, 502 KB] was to commit and conduct a study on the business feasibility of the growing DNS industry in Africa (Page 16, Strategic Objective 15) and to commission an Observatory to develop new indices for DNS Industry growth in Africa. (Page 17, strategic Objective 16). This draft study is an effort to implement these objectives and further the Domain Name Market is Africa together in partnership with you, our community.
Section III: Relevant Resources
Section III: Relevant Resources
- 2012 – 2015 ICANN Africa Strategic Plan
http://www.afrinic.net/en/community/icann-aswg/strategy-matrix - Revised 2016 – 2020 ICANN Africa Strategic Plan
http://africanncommunity.org/africastrategy/fy16-fy20-plan/ - Request for Proposal: Study About the Domain Name System (DNS) Industry and Business in Africa (RFP Documents)
https://community.icann.org/display/gseafrcawkspc/RFP+documents - Draft 2016 African Domain Name System Market Study Report
https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/draft-africa-dns-market-study-10mar17-en.pdf [PDF, 5.86 MB]
Comments Closed
Report of Public Comments