Chance to change e-mail and website addresses

SOUTH Africans can change their e-mail addresses and websites from .co.za to .joburg, .capetown and .durban from October.

The three top level domains are expected to be launched on June 1 with provincial government and municipalities choosing new website and e-mail addresses first.

"The launch is phased. In June the man on the street won't be allowed to get a ZAdotCities name. Before we launch, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) requires that for a geographic name, you must allow the relevant government entities to reserve names," South Africa's domain name authority (Zadna) chief executive Vika Mpisane said yesterday.

Mpisane said trademark owners would be given an opportunity in the second phase to register their branded websites.

The premium name phase will follow with Zanda selling the generic of high search values such as www.business.durban, to the highest bidder.

The real public launch will then come with businesses and members of the public buying their own websites for R180 per year. - Nivashni Nair