ZARC

Products and Namespaces

ZARC is the Registry Operator for numerous namespaces. In order for Registrars to provision domain names in the ZARC namespaces, one or more Technical OT&Es have to be obtained.

Technical OT&Es are tests that are performed in OT&E (Operational Testing and Evaluation) environments, allowing registrars to design their systems and prove their technical capacity without having an impact on the Live namespaces.

Passing a Technical OT&E will allow a registrar to provision domain names in the namespaces for which the Technical OT&E is linked to.

NOTE: Having Technical OT&Es does not necessarily entitle a registrar to operate within the allowed namespaces, as several namespaces have additional requirements and Policy limitations that must also be met by registrars.

 

Below are the various Technical OT&Es that the ZARC offers, as well as their current namespaces in which registrars can operate.

 

ZA

Obtaining ZA OT&E will allow a registrar to provision domain names in the following namespaces:

• .co.za
• .web.za
• net.za
• org.za

Prior to being provisioned with OT&E credentials, non ICANN Accredited registrars must pay an Accreditation Fee of ZAR 5000 to the registry.

Click here for more information concerning ZA accreditation.

 

Additional Information

To begin an OT&E, registrars must log into their Registrar Portal and select the OT&E from the Registrar Portal. Once selected, ZARC will provision OT&E credentials and information to the registrar so they may begin their Technical OT&E.

Registrars can track their progress as well as use the various tools at their disposal for each OT&E by accessing the available accreditation from their Registrar Portal.

Once an OT&E is complete, registrars will have the option to select the various namespaces available for that Accreditation. Registrars may select all available namespaces for that Accreditation. ZARC will provide credentials for the Live Server for each namespace selected, ONLY IF the registrar qualifies to provision domain names in the selected namespace in accordance to the restrictions outlined in the namespace's Policies.

From the information above, the various ZARC OT&Es must be combined in order for a registrar to participate in a namespace from its inception (Launch). For example, if ZARC launches a new zone, registrars are encouraged to obtain Launch OT&E AND GA OT&E. This will allow a registrar to participate in the Launch Phase AND GA Phase for the new zone, having access to the namespace from its inception.

Registrars may also choose where to begin participation in a namespace by selecting their OT&Es. This means that if a registrar does not have Launch OT&E, but has gTLD GA OT&E, the registrar will not particpate in the Launch Phase of a new zone, but may begin provisioning domain names from the start of the General Availability Phase.

Every namespace is subject to its own Policies for the various phases. Registrars MUST familiarise themselves with the relevant policies. All Policies can be accessed from the Top Menu under the "Legal/Policies" section, within the name for each namespace.

 

Last update: 23-02-2023 08:07:42