ZADNA has announced that it will be increasing the EPP wholesale fee for .za domains by R10 as of 1 April 2021.
This follows public consultations launched in June regarding the wholesale pricing structure for second-level .za domains such as co.za, org.za, net.za, and web.za.
The public consultations invited ZADNA members, .ZA second-level domain registry operators, .ZA registrars, registrants, the South African Internet community, and the South African public to comment.
ZADNA said in a memo to members that it has taken into consideration all submissions and viable options based on the input it received from the public.
“Specifically, the public interest concerns were centred on affordability, current economic conditions, and price comparisons with other country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD),” said ZADNA.
It resolved at a board meeting on 28 August 2020 to increase the EPP wholesale fee for co.za, org.za, web.za, and net.za domain names by R10 from 1 April 2021.
“The impact assessment conducted showed the potential adverse effect that retaining or decreasing the fee might have at the current moment on the demand and sustenance of the .ZA domain namespace,” said ZADNA.
“ZADNA will be implementing the R10.00 increase from 01 April 2021 to balance the needs of all stakeholders, taking into account the current economic climate, to ensure that quality of service is not compromised and that the .za namespace continues to be stable, robust and resilient.”
The options provided to the public
ZADNA had previously said that a price increase was not a certainty, and had provided those who wished to comment with three options:
- Increase the EPP wholesale fee for .ZA domains to R50 per year
- Keep the existing EPP wholesale fee for .ZA domains of R45 per year
- Decrease the EPP wholesale fee for .ZA domains
ZADNA also requested feedback regarding whether the annual fee for legacy registrations should be increased or whether the system should be shut down.
In this regard, ZADNA has now announced that it will be increasing the legacy system fee by R10 from 1 January 2021, and said it is in consultation with key stakeholders over when to terminate this legacy system.