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    • .ki

    Country-code top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .ki is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Kiribati.
    • Introduced on 19 April 1995, it is intended for entities connected with Kiribati and can be used at the second level or at the third level beneath defined second-level labels.
    • The ccTLD is a member of CoCCA, a group of country-code domains that share registry and dispute-resolution services.

    History

    • 19 April 1995: .ki was introduced.
    • Early 1990s–early 2000s: Managed on behalf of the Republic of Kiribati by the Australian ISP Connect.com.au; initial sponsor was the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (based in Honiara).
    • Management was later transferred to Kiribati ministries (Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development, and then the Ministry of Communications, Transport and Tourism Development).
    • 2002: Direct management transferred to Telecom Services Kiribati Limited.
    • 2007: The Telecommunications Authority of Kiribati handled the registry using a multiple-registrar model; other sources list the Communications Commission of Kiribati or the Ministry of Information, Communications and Transport (MICT) as registry operators.
    • The initial technical setup work was credited to Franck Martin.

    Usage and Audience

    • Primary audience: entities connected with Kiribati, including government, education and local organisations.
    • Actual use: relatively few .ki sites are in active use; the extension is rarely used as a domain hack.
    • Hosting and accessibility: many .ki sites are hosted outside Kiribati. Due to Kiribati's location and limited local Internet capacity, locally hosted sites (including some government sites) can be slow or intermittently inaccessible.

    Registration Rules

    • Registration structure:
      • Registrations are available directly at the second level (example.ki) or at the third level beneath second-level labels (example.com.ki, example.org.ki, etc.).
      • Recognised second-level labels include: com.ki, biz.ki, net.ki, info.ki, org.ki, gov.ki, edu.ki, mob.ki, tel.ki.
    • Eligibility and restrictions:
      • The CCK restricts registration under specific second-level domains to Kiribati organisations, residents, and schools (notably gov.ki and edu.ki are reserved for their respective local entities).
      • Top-level (second-level) names are available to international registrants but typically at a higher fee than domestic registrations.
    • Fees (as stated):
      • Second-level domain: AUD 1,000.
      • Most third-level registrations: AUD 150.
      • edu.ki: AUD 50.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Limited adoption: relatively few active .ki sites can affect recognition and perceived ubiquity compared with more common gTLDs or larger ccTLDs.
    • Performance considerations: hosting outside Kiribati is common to avoid local connectivity limitations; locally hosted .ki sites may experience slowness or accessibility issues, which can negatively affect user experience and SEO.
    • Brand positioning: .ki signals a clear connection to Kiribati for local organisations and institutions, and reserved SLDs (gov.ki, edu.ki) support trusted local branding.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • The University of the South Pacific (Kiribati Centre) is noted as an example of an edu.ki usage.
    • Historical operators and milestones: Connect.com.au (early manager), Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (original sponsor), Telecom Services Kiribati Limited (2002 manager), and later Telecommunications Authority of Kiribati/Communications Commission of Kiribati/MICT as registry operators.
    • The .ki registry and services have been archived and referenced through NIC.ki and other archived resources.

    Operator

    Ministry of Information, Communications and Transport (MICT)

    Whois

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

domain:       KI

organisation: Ministry of Information, Communications and Transport (MICT)
address:      Betio
address:      Tarawa
address:      Kiribati

contact:      administrative
name:         Director of National ICT
organisation: Ministry of Information, Communications and Transport
address:      Betio
address:      Tarawa
address:      Kiribati
phone:        +686 26003
e-mail:       dnict@mict.gov.ki

contact:      technical
name:         Kaboterenga Romatoa
organisation: Communications Commission of Kiribati
address:      Main Road
address:      Betio
address:      Tarawa
address:      Kiribati
phone:        +686 25488
e-mail:       kaboterenga.romatoa@cck.ki

nserver:      ANYCASTDNS1.NIC.KI 185.38.108.108 2a00:fea0:dead:0:0:0:0:beef
nserver:      ANYCASTDNS2.NIC.KI 185.28.194.194
nserver:      PCH.NIC.KI 2001:500:14:6026:ad:0:0:1 204.61.216.26
ds-rdata:     59540 8 2 fd3b27e5c171b883fe2815dde7fbbe7f2e5af826bff47c33b5970f53e2a855de

whois:        whois.nic.ki

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

created:      1995-04-19
changed:      2024-02-06
source:       IANA

    Registrars