Expired .NA Domains

How would you describe this domain extension?

The .na domain extension stands for Namibia. The domain is maintained by the National Communications Authority of Namibia, which was founded in 1994 to regulate telecommunications and postal services in the country.

.na is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Namibia corresponding to the two-letter code from the ISO-3166 standard.

Who owns the .NA domain?

The .na domain is owned by the Government of Namibia. It is administered by NIC Namibia.

The .na domain is a territory-dependent top-level domain (TLD) for Namibia and was registered in 1994. By registering a domain name that ends with a doubled-letter "a" (.com, .org), it would be difficult to distinguish between domestic and international sites.

In order to make site addresses easier to read and remember for all people from all countries who live in or visit Namibia (.na), the invention of this TRL makes it possible for all website visitors to use this extension instead of guessing at which country (.go, .fr, etc).

Thus anyone can instantly tell whether a site address belongs to someone based in Namibia by its web address.

This makes it easier to create, maintain and use websites in Namibia, especially when they are not all in the English language.

Are there rules for the registration of .na domain names?

According to the wiki, registrants in Naia must be Namibian citizens or registered businesses in Namibia.

Registrants are classified into local and international entities, with local entities being further subclassified into individuals, legal persons (e.g., corporations) and co-operatives, and international entities being subclassified into countries/ territories which are recognized by the United Nations as well as organizations under the direct control of a sovereign government.

Registration of .na domain names is open to anyone. However, first-level registrations are limited to Namibian citizens or registered businesses in Namibia, or enterprises with a significant Namibian presence.

Second-level registrations are available to everyone else under various second-level names, such as co.na and org.na

Registrants are required to have a local presence in Namibia or must be an Overseas business, you cannot register on behalf of another person, organization, or company.

.na domain names may not be registered by individuals or private companies, they must be registered by overseas businesses.

Who will be allowed to register these domains at first, and how would this be determined?

First-level registrations are limited to Namibian citizens or registered businesses in Namibia, or enterprises with a significant Namibian presence.

Second-level registrations are available to everyone else under various second-level names, such as co.na and org.na, as well as third-level domains such as the net.na and com.na

What would you say is the number one reason someone would want to register an .na domain name?

The most common reason for someone wanting to register a .na web address is because they either live in Namibia or run a business based there.

As mentioned above, by registering this extension instead of guessing at which country (.go, .fr, etc), individuals can instantly tell whether a site address belongs to someone based in Namibia by its web address.

This makes it easier to create, maintain and use websites in Namibia, especially when they are not all in the English language.