Mali has become the first African country to give away its country top level domain names (ccTLDs) for free.
From July 15th, internet users in Mali and other nations will be able to register the .ML domain name on a first-come first-served basis. This general availability will be preceded by a Sunrise and Landrush period, to protect trademark holders around the world. There will be no restrictions to registrations of the free domains.
The .ML domain name will be operated by the Agence des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (AGETIC) and will focus on individuals and enterprises both inside and outside Mali. There will be no restrictions when registering the free domains and they will be renewable at the end of the registration period at no additional charge.
Chef service manager of .ML at AGETIC Hawa Diakite said: “We believe that providing free domain names to our internet population will greatly improve the usage and the knowledge of the IT industry in our country.”