Free Domain .NOM.ZA
Key Facts
| Suffix | .nom.za |
|---|---|
| Editor's Rating | |
| User Rating | ( based on 1 vote) |
| Is Active | yes |
| Years in service | 13 |
| Is GeoTargetable | no |
| Is Indexed in Google | yes |
| Is TLD | yes |
| Supports IDN | yes |
| Free Domains | 1 |
| Special Conditions | Personal use only with no financial gain. Possibly limited to South Africans. |
| DNS Records | A, AAAA, NS |
| Country | South Africa |
Description
Free domain NOM.ZA is an interesting case indeed. It's a second-level domain under the .ZA namespace, but it's wholly a recognized "TLD" in the same sense as .co.uk is.
Nom.za is meant for individual personal use. No registrations by companies are allowed, so a registration for any common brand name will likely be declined. In fact, their TOS states that "use [...] is expected by individuals wishing to register their given, legal, or last names."
Additionally, you don't get to own a NOM.ZA domain, you only get custody of it. But you have to allow others to register further subdomains under your domain, for example, if your name is Bob Smith and you register smith.nom.za, you have to allow Alice to register alice.smith.nom.za lest your domain be reassigned by a common vote.
This is particularly interesting, NomZa is being run by individuals (who aren't financially compensated), for individuals: Supposedly, after 1000 domains get registered, "a general meeting of the domain custodians will be called in Johannesburg [...] to decide on the future" of the domain. Really a communal endeavor.
If you don't use your NOM.ZA domain for a period of 60 days, you agree to relinquish the right to it, so no squatting (which is thwarted anyway).
Finally, NOM.ZA is part of the ISC's DLV registry, is a recognized ISPA member, which implies it is here to stay, and is available on IPv6.
