Somalia’s National Communications Authority (NCA) took full control of the country-code top-level domain (dotSO) as it will oversee the activities of the Somali National Information Center (SONIC) and Cloudy Registry who ran the operations and the management of the Domain Registry. Effective immediately, SONIC will be a special entity under the supervision of NCA .
The NCA, on behalf of SONIC, signed an Addendum to the Master Supply Agreement with Cloud Registry, which provides registry-hosting services to the DotSO Domain. The Addendum establishes a contractual relationship between the NCA/SONIC and Cloud Registry.
The NCA, with the support of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Technology, exercises the oversight function as its regulatory authority under Article 54(2) of the 2017 National Communications, which recognizes the DotSO Domain as a national asset.
Abdulaziz Husein Omar, former Director of SONIC who resigned from his position, said, “I was privileged to have led the institution and is happy to transfer full domain management responsibilities to SONIC under the regulator supervision”.
Abdi Sheik Ahmed, the General Manager of NCA, said “DotSO is a national asset and the 2017 Communication Law charges the NCA with its stewardship, adding the Domain will be managed in the interest of the public and the Internet community.
The Minister of Posts, telecommunication, and Technology H.E Abdi Ashur Hassan said at the signing ceremony “This is an important milestone for the ICT industry in Somalia and another achievement for the Ministry on the heels of the passage of the Communication Law and the establishment of the regulatory authority.”
The Minister thanked everyone who played a role in the process, particularly the President and Prime Minister. He added, “I would also like to thank the Council of Ministers, the State Attorney General and the former management of SONIC ”.
NCA is planning to start a fresh and inclusive process of a multi-stakeholder approach, which will include academia, civil society, ICT sector, and internet community at large.