What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is simply the address that people type into their browser to find you or your company on the Internet. It serves as your online identity. For example, our domain name is http://www.itnt.co.za.
Domain names have two parts: the label (itnt) and the extension (.co.za). At ITNT all major domain name extensions are supported, including country specific (e.g .co.za or .co.uk), international (.com, .net, .org) and specialist formats. Just tell us what you want and we will look into it for you. If you are not sure what you want or don’t really understand how domain extensions work, contact us and we will advise you (mail to: Domain registration: Request for Information). There is a difference in the cost of local versus international domain extensions, so you will need to consider your options quite carefully.
How do I Choose a Domain Name?
Companies often use their company name for their domain name or they might use their business focus/product/service as their name. For example, instead of www.itnt.co.za we could use www.internetserviceprovider.co.za as our domain name. Your final choice for a domain name will depend on whether or not the name you want to register is available or not. Company names are more likely to be available and are good if you wish to build your company brand. However, using a short phrase that describes your business can be effective, particularly for increasing the visibility of your website on the Internet (Search Engine Optimisation). It is important to choose a domain name that is short, easy to remember and describes your business. Many popular names will already be registered, so you might have to change your name slightly or choose a different extension.
We can offer you sound advice on the selection of the best domain name for your business. Private individuals will often choose their family name as their domain name, for example “jones.co.za”.
How do I Register My Domain Name?
Once you have chosen your preferred domain name, you will need to host your domain name on a Domain Name Server (DNS). This is why you need an Internet Service Provider. The DNS server translates your domain name (jones.co.za) from a name into an IP address (a numeric address) to enable your website or email address to be located on the internet when someone tries to connect with you.
Send your domain name to us with a request for domain registration and we will check the availability of your name. Once we have confirmed availability and received your registration payment, we will register your domain for you with the relevant authority. Once the authority has received payment the domain will be active. The process usually takes between 24 and 48 hours.
What Can I Do With My New Domain Name?
Once your domain name is registered, you can:
- Host your website at your own domain
- Get Email Addresses @ your new domain name
- Point your new domain name to any existing website address
- Or simply register it to make sure that no-one else takes your name
How do I Set Up a Website and Email on My Domain Name?
Once your domain name has been registered you can build your website. We are an industry leader in website design and development. We can develop any website, from simple HTML sites to highly complex websites with content management systems for databases, e-commerce etc. Contact our web services department and we will put together a comprehensive, competitive quote for you.
ITNT also offers comprehensive web hosting services (Linux and Windows), should you wish to host your website with us. Visit our hosting services pages for more information.
ITNT can set up your email accounts and host your email. Visit our Email Hosting page for more information on this service. We also offer a highly effective, simple to use Anti-Spam solution to protect your email from spam, malware and phishing. We offer a 2 week free trial on our Anti-Spam solution, enabling you to test the effectiveness of our Anti-Spam tool. Visit our Anti-Spam page for more information.
How Do I Renew My Domain Name?
Your domain name has to be renewed annually and the last thing you want is to lose your domain name because you were late with your renewal. ITNT will send you an automatic renewal reminder a month prior to expiry, to ensure your Domain Name remains in your control and ownership. We will manage the process for you, ensuring that you can focus on your business without worrying about your domain/s.
Can I Transfer My Domain Name?
Transferring your domain to ITNT is a simple process. All you need to do is grant us permission to transfer the domain. Send us a request for domain transfer (mail to support: Domain Transfer: Request for Information) and we will manage the process for you, no hassle.
More on Domain Name Extensions
A domain name registry, also called Network Information Centre (NIC), is part of the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet which converts domain names to IP addresses. It is an organisation that manages the registration of Domain names within the top-level domains for which it is responsible, controls the policies of domain name allocation, and technically operates its top-level domain. It is potentially distinct from a domain name registrar.
Domain names are managed under a hierarchy headed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which manages the top of the DNS tree by administrating the data in the root nameservers.
IANA also operates the .int registry for intergovernmental organisations, the .arpa zone for protocol administration purposes, and other critical zones such as root-servers.net.
IANA delegates all other domain name authority to other domain name registries such as VeriSign.
Country code top-level domains (ccTLD) are delegated by IANA to national registries such as DENIC in Germany, or Nominet in the United Kingdom.
The following is a list of currently existing Internet Top-level domains (TLDs). See top-level domain for information on the concept.
While the following list should be correct, there is a more definitive list on the IANA website. (The IANA list does not include .root, which exists only via a second-level domain.)
iTLD
.arpa Address and Routing Parameter Area This is an internet infrastructure TLD.
.root N/A Diagnostic marker to indicate a root zone load was not truncated.
gTLD Entity Notes
.aero air-transport industry Must verify eligibility for registration; only those in various categories of air-travel-related entities may register.
.asia Asia-Pacific region This is a TLD for companies, organizations, and individuals based in the region of Asia, Australia, and the Pacific.
.biz business This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register; however, registrations may be challenged later if they are not by commercial entities in accordance with the domain's charter.
.cat Catalan This is a TLD for websites in the Catalan language or related to Catalan culture.
.com commercial This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register.
.coop cooperatives The .coop TLD is limited to cooperatives as defined by the Rochdale Principles.
.edu educational The .edu TLD is limited to institutions of learning (mostly U.S.), such as 2 and 4-year colleges and universities.
.gov governmental The .gov TLD is limited to U.S. governmental entities and agencies (commonly federal-level).
.info information This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register.
.int international organizations The .int TLD is strictly limited to organizations, offices, and programs which are endorsed by a treaty between two or more nations.
.jobs companies The .jobs TLD is designed to be added after the names of established companies with jobs to advertise. At this time, owners of a "company.jobs" domain are not permitted to post jobs of third party employers.
.mil United States Military The .mil TLD is limited to use by the U.S. military.
.mobi mobile devices Must be used for mobile-compatible sites in accordance with standards.
.museum museums Must be verified as a legitimate museum.
.name individuals, by name This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register; however, registrations may be challenged later if they are not by individuals (or the owners of fictional characters) in accordance with the domain's charter.
.net network This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register.
.org organization This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register.
.pro professions Currently, .pro is reserved for licensed doctors, attorneys, and certified public accountants only. A professional seeking to register a .pro domain must provide their registrar with the appropriate credentials.
.tel Internet communication services
.travel travel and tourism industry related sites Must be verified as a legitimate travel-related entity.
ccTLD Country/dependency/region Notes
.ac Ascension Island
.ad Andorra
.ae United Arab Emirates
.af Afghanistan
.ag Antigua and Barbuda
.ai Anguilla
.al Albania
.am Armenia
.an Netherlands Antilles
.ao Angola
.aq Antarctica Defined as per the Antarctic Treaty as everything south of latitude 60°S.
.ar Argentina
.as American Samoa
.at Austria
.au Australia Includes Ashmore and Cartier Islands and Coral Sea Islands.
.aw Aruba
.ax Åland
.az Azerbaijan
.ba Bosnia and Herzegovina
.bb Barbados
.bd Bangladesh
.be Belgium
.bf Burkina Faso
.bg Bulgaria
.bh Bahrain
.bi Burundi
.bj Benin
.bm Bermuda
.bn Brunei Darussalam
.bo Bolivia
.br Brazil
.bs Bahamas
.bt Bhutan
.bv Bouvet Island Not in use (Norwegian dependency; see .no).
.bw Botswana
.by Belarus
.bz Belize
.ca Canada Subject to Canadian Presence Requirements (see .ca).
.cc Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australian territory: do not confuse with Cocos islands in Guam).
.cd Democratic Republic of the Congo Formerly Zaire.
.cf Central African Republic
.cg Republic of the Congo
.ch Switzerland (Confoederatio Helvetica, Confédération helvétique)
.ci Côte d'Ivoire
.ck Cook Islands
.cl Chile Only available for Chile registered brands and companies.
.cm Cameroon A local entity/company in Cameroon is required to register a domain name.
.cn China, mainland Mainland China only: Hong Kong and Macau use separate TLDs.
.co Colombia
.cr Costa Rica
.cu Cuba
.cv Cape Verde
.cx Christmas Island
.cy Cyprus
.cz Czech Republic
.de Germany (Deutschland)
.dj Djibouti
.dk Denmark
.dm Dominica
.do Dominican Republic
.dz Algeria
.ec Ecuador
.ee Estonia Only available for Estonia registered brands and companies.
.eg Egypt
.er Eritrea
.es Spain (España)
.et Ethiopia
.eu European Union Restricted to companies and individuals in the European Union (or in other overseas or autonomous regions of member countries).
.fi Finland
.fj Fiji
.fk Falkland Islands
.fm Federated States of Micronesia Used for some radio related websites outside Micronesia.
.fo Faroe Islands
.fr France Can only be used by organisations or persons with a presence in France (including overseas).
.ga Gabon
.gb United Kingdom Seldom used; the primary ccTLD used is .uk for United Kingdom.
.gd Grenada
.ge Georgia
.gf French Guiana (See also .fr).
.gg Guernsey
.gh Ghana
.gi Gibraltar
.gl Greenland
.gm The Gambia
.gn Guinea
.gp Guadeloupe Still used for Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin (see also .fr).
.gq Equatorial Guinea
.gr Greece
.gs South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
.gt Guatemala
.gu Guam
.gw Guinea-Bissau
.gy Guyana
.hk Hong Kong Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.
.hm Heard Island and McDonald Islands
.hn Honduras
.hr Croatia (Hrvatska)
.ht Haiti
.hu Hungary
.id Indonesia
.ie Ireland (Éire) Only available for Ireland registered brands and companies. Foreign companies can register if doing business in Ireland or provide TM.
.il Israel
.im Isle of Man
.in India Under INRegistry since April 2005 (except: gov.in, mil.in, ac.in, edu.in, res.in).
.io British Indian Ocean Territory
.iq Iraq
.ir Iran
.is Iceland (Ísland)
.it Italy Restricted to companies and individuals in the European Union.
.je Jersey
.jm Jamaica
.jo Jordan
.jp Japan
.ke Kenya
.kg Kyrgyzstan
.kh Cambodia (Khmer, former Kâmpuchea)
.ki Kiribati
.km Comoros
.kn Saint Kitts and Nevis
.kp North Korea
.kr South Korea
.kw Kuwait
.ky Cayman Islands
.kz Kazakhstan
.la Laos (Currently being marketed as the unofficial domain for Los Angeles).
.lb Lebanon Must be registered with a company in Lebanon to register
.lc Saint Lucia
.li Liechtenstein
.lk Sri Lanka
.lr Liberia
.ls Lesotho
.lt Lithuania
.lu Luxembourg
.lv Latvia
.ly Libya
.ma Morocco
.mc Monaco
.md Moldova
.me Montenegro Active, but not accepting registrations yet (see also .yu still in use).
.mg Madagascar
.mh Marshall Islands
.mk Republic of Macedonia
.ml Mali
.mm Myanmar
.mn Mongolia
.mo Macau Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.
.mp Northern Mariana Islands
.mq Martinique (See also .fr).
.mr Mauritania
.ms Montserrat
.mt Malta
.mu Mauritius
.mv Maldives
.mw Malawi
.mx Mexico
.my Malaysia Must be registered with a company in Malaysia to register (currently famous for the literal word 'my').
.mz Mozambique
.na Namibia
.nc New Caledonia (See also .fr).
.ne Niger
.nf Norfolk Island
.ng Nigeria
.ni Nicaragua
.nl Netherlands
.no Norway Must be registered with a company in Norway to register.
.np Nepal
.nr Nauru
.nu Niue Commonly used by Danish, Dutch and Swedish websites, because in those languages 'nu' means “now”.
.nz New Zealand
.om Oman
.pa Panama
.pe Peru
.pf French Polynesia With Clipperton Island (See also .fr).
.pg Papua New Guinea
.ph Philippines
.pk Pakistan
.pl Poland
.pm Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
.pn Pitcairn Islands
.pr Puerto Rico
.ps Palestinian territories PA-controlled West Bank and Gaza Strip.
.pt Portugal Only available for Portuguese registered brands and companies.
.pw Palau
.py Paraguay
.qa Qatar
.re Réunion (See also .fr)
.ro Romania
.rs Serbia (See also former .yu still in use).
.ru Russia (See also former .su still in use).
.rw Rwanda
.sa Saudi Arabia
.sb Solomon Islands
.sc Seychelles
.sd Sudan
.se Sweden
.sg Singapore
.sh Saint Helena
.si Slovenia
.sj Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands Not in use (Norwegian dependencies; see .no).
.sk Slovakia
.sl Sierra Leone
.sm San Marino
.sn Senegal
.so Somalia
.sr Suriname
.st São Tomé and Príncipe
.su former Soviet Union Still in use.
.sv El Salvador
.sy Syria
.sz Swaziland
.tc Turks and Caicos Islands
.td Chad
.tf French Southern and Antarctic Lands Seldom used (see also .fr).
.tg Togo
.th Thailand
.tj Tajikistan
.tk Tokelau Also used as a free domain service to the public.
.tl East Timor Old code .tp is still in use.
.tm Turkmenistan
.tn Tunisia
.to Tonga
.tp East Timor ISO code has changed to TL; .tl is now assigned but .tp is still in use.
.tr Turkey
.tt Trinidad and Tobago
.tv Tuvalu Much used by television broadcasters. Also sold as advertising domains.
.tw Taiwan, Republic of China Used in the Republic of China, namely Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu.
.tz Tanzania
.ua Ukraine
.ug Uganda
.uk United Kingdom
.um United States Minor Outlying Islands
.us United States of America (Commonly used by U.S. State and local governments instead of .gov TLD).
.uy Uruguay
.uz Uzbekistan
.va Vatican City State
.vc Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
.ve Venezuela
.vg British Virgin Islands
.vi U.S. Virgin Islands
.vn Vietnam
.vu Vanuatu
.wf Wallis and Futuna (See also .fr).
.ws Samoa Formerly Western Samoa.
.ye Yemen
.yt Mayotte (See also .fr).
.yu Yugoslavia Now used for Serbia and Montenegro.
.za South Africa (Zuid-Afrika).
.zm Zambia
.zw Zimbabwe
IDNA TLD[1] Language Word
The IDNA TLDs have been added for the purpose of testing the use of IDNA at the top level, and are likely to be temporary. Each of the eleven TLDs encodes a word meaning "test" in some language. See the ICANN announcement of 15 October 2007 and the IDN TLD evaluation gateway.
