Country-code top-level domains
Overview
- .gb is the reserved country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) derived from Great Britain (GB).
- It was introduced in the early ccTLD assignments (RFC 920) and is intended for entities connected with Great Britain.
- The domain fell into disuse and has been largely superseded by the .uk ccTLD.
History
- Introduced: 24 July 1985 (implemented as part of early ccTLD delegations).
- Registry / operator noted in sources: JANET (Jisc).
- Early use: used for several years mainly by British government organisations and by commercial e-mail services that relied on X.400 infrastructure.
- Decline: with the demise of X.400 e-mail and IANA's tendency toward one ccTLD per country, .gb use declined in the 1990s and it was abandoned for general registration in favour of .uk.
- Recent status and retirement discussion:
- The domain remains reserved but is not open to new registrations.
- In November 2022 the UK Central Digital and Data Office indicated an intention to inform ICANN about retiring .gb; sources note that as of 2024 no formal retirement request had been made.
- As of 2025 a small number of subdomains still resolve in DNS, though they do not serve web pages.
Usage and Audience
- Primary historical users:
- British government organisations (government websites and services).
- Commercial e-mail services that mapped X.400 addresses to DNS names (X.400 used GB as a country code).
- Intended audience: entities connected with Great Britain.
- Contemporary use: largely none for public registration; a few legacy/historical subdomains remain in DNS but do not host active websites.
Registration Rules
- Current registration status: no registrations presently being taken; the ccTLD is reserved and not open for new domain registration.
- Structure noted in historical records:
- General names under name.gb.
- Government websites historically assigned under .hmg.gb (His/Her Majesty's Government).
- Registry referenced: JANET (Jisc).
SEO and Brand Impact
- Visibility and trust:
- .gb has very limited contemporary web presence and adoption, so it offers little SEO or branding advantage compared with the widely used .uk domain.
- Because it is not open for new registrations and most activity moved to .uk, .gb is not a practical choice for building an online brand.
Notable Cases or Examples
- Legacy government/defence subdomains (examples resolving in DNS as of 2025, but not serving web pages):
- hermes.dra.hmg.gb
- delos.dra.hmg.gb
- dfhnet.dra.hmg.gb
- Ownership history for those subdomains: originally owned by the Defence Research Agency (DRA), which became the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 1995 and was later split into QinetiQ and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL); the associated websites became defunct.
- ICANN/administrative note: .hmg.gb is cited as a historical registration representing His/Her Majesty's Government; some sources note hmg.gb as the only registered but inactive label under .gb.
Operator
Reserved Domain - IANA
Whois
% IANA WHOIS server % for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org % This query returned 1 object domain: GB organisation: Reserved Domain - IANA contact: administrative name: Naming Administrator organisation: Jisc address: 4 Portwall Ln address: Redcliffe address: Bristol BS1 6NB address: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) phone: +44 3003002212 e-mail: domains@jisc.ac.uk contact: technical name: Naming Administrator organisation: Jisc address: 4 Portwall Ln address: Redcliffe address: Bristol BS1 6NB address: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) phone: +44 3003002212 e-mail: domains@jisc.ac.uk nserver: NS.UU.NET 137.39.1.3 nserver: NS0.JA.NET 128.86.1.20 193.63.94.20 2001:630:0:8:0:0:0:14 2001:630:0:9:0:0:0:14 nserver: NS4.JA.NET 193.62.157.66 2001:630:0:47:0:0:0:42 whois: status: ACTIVE remarks: Registration information: created: 1985-07-24 changed: 2024-09-10 source: IANA