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    • .ac

    Country-code top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .ac is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha and is used primarily for Ascension Island.
    • It is administered by NIC.AC (Ascension Island Network Information Centre), operated by the Internet Computer Bureau (Afilias-owned).
    • Registrations are accepted at the second level and the registry supports internationalized domain names (IDNs). DNSSEC is enabled for the zone.

    History

    • Introduced / delegated on December 19, 1997.
    • Managed by the Internet Computer Bureau Limited through its subsidiary NIC.AC; NIC.AC is based in the United Kingdom.
    • Sponsor listed as Sure (company) in registry records.

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended use: entities connected with Ascension Island.
    • Actual/common use:
      • Academic and education-related sites due to similarity with “.ac” as an academic second-level domain.
      • Niche communities and hobby sites (notably some Animal Crossing sites).
      • A mix of sites globally, with a small number of actual Ascension Island sites.
    • Examples of organizations using .ac domains include Dhaka International University (diu.ac) and Ralston College (ralston.ac), and the domain is also used by Easy Anti-Cheat (easy.ac).

    Registration Rules

    • Registration is open to anyone for second-level .ac domains.
    • Third-level registrations require the registrant to be resident on Ascension Island.
    • Structure: registrations are available directly at the second level or at third level beneath various second-level labels.
    • The registry publishes Terms & Conditions, Rules, and a Dispute Resolution Policy; the registry accepts IDNs.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • .ac is commonly used to signal an academic or education-related presence because of the familiar ".ac" academic label used under some ccTLDs.
    • The TLD has found niche branding use (e.g., hobbyist communities and specialty services), which can make it attractive for targeted audiences.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • In 2013 The Pirate Bay temporarily relocated to thepiratebay.ac after a domain seizure elsewhere.
    • Examples of use by institutions and services: diu.ac (Dhaka International University), ralston.ac (Ralston College), and easy.ac (Easy Anti-Cheat).
    • Saint Helena has a separate ccTLD (.sh); .ac is associated mainly with Ascension Island.

    Operator

    Internet Computer Bureau Limited

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       AC

organisation: Internet Computer Bureau Limited
address:      c/o Sure (Ascension Island)
address:      Georgetown ASCN 1ZZ
address:      Ascension Island

contact:      administrative
name:         Managing Director
organisation: Internet Computer Bureau Limited
address:      c/o Sure (Ascension Island)
address:      Georgetown ASCN 1ZZ
address:      Ascension Island
e-mail:       administrator@nic.ac

contact:      technical
name:         Technical Director
organisation: Internet Computer Bureau Limited
address:      Greytown House, 221-227 High Street
address:      Orpington Kent BR6 0NZ
address:      United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)
phone:        +44 (0)1689 827505
fax-no:       +44 (0)1689 831478
e-mail:       admin@icb.co.uk

nserver:      A0.NIC.AC 2a01:8840:9e:0:0:0:0:1 65.22.160.1
nserver:      A2.NIC.AC 2a01:8840:a1:0:0:0:0:1 65.22.163.1
nserver:      B0.NIC.AC 2a01:8840:9f:0:0:0:0:1 65.22.161.1
nserver:      C0.NIC.AC 2a01:8840:a0:0:0:0:0:1 65.22.162.1
ds-rdata:     42665 8 2 4b15f405c98f4bc3a370b19e54dbe75df201edcd38577c51d277dc6559865d95

whois:        whois.nic.ac

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.nic.ac/

created:      1997-12-19
changed:      2023-03-07
source:       IANA

    Registrars