Born out of the ashes of what used to be Yugoslavia, Serbia is now a country in its own right and with its own Internet extension – .RS – which should go live in early 2008. We take a look at the new domain.
History isn't always easy to follow for the Internet's country-code domains. Take .YU for example, the domain for a country that no longer exists: Yugoslavia. As a result of its break-up in the early 1990s, the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency (which manages the ISO country code table upon which national Internet domain extensions are based) replaced YU by CS.
But the new code was to be short lived. In 2006, two major components of the region, Montenegro and Serbia, went their separate ways. The ISO list had to be amended once gain, CS being dropped in favour of ME for Montenegro and RS for Serbia.
Such sweeping changes made it hard for the Internet to keep up and it wasn't until a board meeting in September this year that ICANN formally launched the transition from .YU to the two new extensions resulting from the ISO list changes: .RS and .ME.
Open to anyone with a connection to Serbia
We've already discussed .ME. So how will Serbia relaunch itself on the Internet? We contacted RNIDS (Registar Nacionalnog Internet Domena Srbije or "Serbian National Registry of Internet Domain Names"), registry for the new extension, and asked.
"We intend .RS to be for all Serbian citizens, in Serbia and throughout the world," RNIDS board member Slobodan Markovic told us. "It will also be for those who have business or other interests linked to Serbia. So, basically, anyone who can provide proof of a connection with Serbia will be able to get a .RS name."
Moving from .YU to .RS
The September 11, 2007 ICANN board decision named RNIDS as "temporary caretaker" for existing .YU names with instructions for them and the Montenegrin authorities to work to complete the transition from .YU by September 30, 2009. Ex-Yugoslavia's extension will then be removed from the Internet root altogether.
So how will this transition be handled and what specific rules will .RS work under? "Rules for .RS domain name registrations, registrar accreditation, dispute resolution and the transition from .YU to .RS have not been determined by RNIDS yet," says Slobodan Markovic. "We have published a draft set of rules for public debate a week ago. The public comment period lasts until October 8th so we can expect the final rules for the end of October."
"This means registrations in .RS could start at the end of this year at the earliest."
Considering the scope of work to be handled by RNIDS, it's actually unlikely .RS will launch before the first quarter of 2008.
Registrars will have to be registered in Serbia
When it does, .RS will be sold using the standard format of a network of accredited registrars. "The registration system will be automated and based on open standards," says Markovic. "In order for us to meet certain legal and fiscal requirements, registrars will have to be Serbian-registered companies, or foreign entities with a registered Serbian office."
Although a new extension, .RS could actually be considered a revamp of the old .YU suffix. As such, its launch parameters will be slightly different from those of an extension being created from scratch like .EU in 2005 or .ASIA this year.
"We won't be having a Sunrise period as such," Markovic confirms. "It will be more like a transition from .YU to .RS. Before .RS opens for registration, we will reserve the names of government institutions and other specific entities, plus those names currently registered under .YU."
"Once .RS opens, .YU registrations will no longer be accepted. Current .YU domain owners will be able to apply for equivalent .RS names. .YU equivalent names will be held for 6 months and then become available if unclaimed. Existing .YU domains will continue to function during this time, but cannot be renewed. As requested by ICANN, we will publish a progress report on the transition every 6 months."
"And ICANN may extend the transition period if this proves necessary to ensure the stability of the Internet..."
…i.e. if RNIDS is unable to complete the transition in the given timeframe, which would mean risking "switching off" existing .YU websites if Yugoslavia's ex-suffix was disconnected.
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