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    • .ss

    Country-code top-level domains

    Overview

    • .ss is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to South Sudan, derived from the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code "SS".
    • Registry is listed as ssNIC; ICANNWiki notes management by the National Communication Authority (NCA). The Government of South Sudan is listed as the sponsor.
    • Intended use: entities connected with South Sudan. Actual use has been described as rare and, when used, often within South Sudan.

    History

    • Allocated following independence: 10 August 2011 (ISO/ccTLD allocation reported).
    • Domain name was registered on 31 August 2011 but was not immediately in the DNS root zone.
    • ICANN Board approved delegation on 27 January 2019; .ss was added to the DNS root zone on 2 February 2019.
    • Registration of second-level domains launched in phased periods beginning 1 June 2020, with general availability starting 1 September 2020.
    • In July 2024 the registry announced that registrations directly under .ss would open for all applicants on 1 November 2024.

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended audience: organizations, businesses, government, educational institutions and individuals connected with South Sudan.
    • Commonly used SLDs and intended audiences:
      • .com.ss — commercial entities (open to all applicants)
      • .biz.ss — business entities
      • .net.ss — network operators
      • .org.ss — NGOs and not-for-profit organizations
      • .me.ss — personal websites
      • .edu.ss — South Sudan higher educational institutions
      • .sch.ss — South Sudan primary and secondary schools
      • .gov.ss — South Sudan government entities only
    • Actual use has been described as limited; when used, domains are often based in South Sudan.

    Registration Rules

    • Eligibility: an applicant may reside in any legal jurisdiction (per registry policy).
    • Registration structure:
      • Registrations directly under .ss (open to all applicants starting 1 November 2024)
      • Standard second-level names (com.ss, org.ss, net.ss, etc.) with some SLDs reserved for specific entity types.
    • SLD-specific requirements:
      • .gov.ss, .edu.ss, .sch.ss require supporting documentation and are restricted to the corresponding South Sudan institutions.
      • .com.ss, .biz.ss, .net.ss, .org.ss, .me.ss are intended for the uses listed above (some open to all applicants).
    • Reserved and blocked names:
      • The registry maintains reserved names that may not be registered to protect DNS stability and public interests.
      • Blocked names include names considered offensive on grounds such as race, colour, religion, sex or gender.
      • No .ss domain may be used for sexual/pornographic purposes or for activities against the statutory laws of any nation (per registry policy).
    • Technical and syntax rules:
      • Minimum length: 3 characters.
      • Maximum length: 63 characters.
      • Allowed characters: letters a–z and numbers 0–9.
    • Naming constraints:
      • Second-level names used by the registry are banned from being used as third-level names (e.g., "com.com.ss" cannot be registered).
      • All TLDs are banned from being used as third-level names (e.g., "net.org.ss" and "org.com.ss" are not allowed).

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • The choice of the two-letter code "SS" generated controversy because those letters are associated in Europe with the Nazi-era Schutzstaffel (SS). Concerns were raised that the ccTLD could be targeted or appropriated by neo-Nazi groups.
    • Aside from that controversy, sources describe .ss as rarely used; the limited adoption can affect recognition and brand presence compared with more widely used TLDs.

    Operator

    National Communication Authority (NCA)

    Whois

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

domain:       SS

organisation: National Communication Authority (NCA)
address:      2nd Floor-Ministry of ICT & Postal Services Main Building
address:      P.O. Box 531
address:      Juba
address:      South Sudan

contact:      administrative
name:         Admin
organisation: National Communication Authority (NCA)
address:      2nd Floor-Ministry of ICT & Postal Services Main Building
address:      P.O. Box 531
address:      Juba
address:      South Sudan
phone:        +211 922338781
e-mail:       admin@nic.ss

contact:      technical
name:         Technical Support
organisation: National Communication Authority (NCA)
address:      2nd Floor-Ministry of ICT & Postal Services Main Building
address:      P.O. Box 531
address:      Juba
address:      South Sudan
phone:        +211 922338781
e-mail:       tech@nic.ss

nserver:      NS-SS.AFRINIC.NET 196.216.168.27 2001:43f8:120:0:0:0:0:27
nserver:      PCH.NIC.SS 2001:500:14:6130:ad:0:0:1 204.61.216.130
nserver:      SSNIC.ANYCASTDNS.CZ 185.28.194.194 185.38.108.108
ds-rdata:     39884 8 2 b603d47de4d4ac23168537763d91e5677300ac06f5d9a1108d29ea91c2c0d204

whois:        whois.nic.ss

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://nic.ss/

created:      2011-08-31
changed:      2024-04-05
source:       IANA

    Registrars