The much-anticipated country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .ss assigned for South Sudan finally launched through the National Communication Authority (NCA) wielding much excitement amongst the ICT companies and practitioners. Harnessing the full potential of this milestone is promising as the country is on the verge of accomplishing two development projects that will ignite large scale improvements on the economy, service delivery and boosting confidence in the private sector.

High speed broadband enhancing operations and interconnect companies regionally and globally. 

One of the projects is introducing fiber optic internet which is expected to connect thousands of customers with high speed broadband enhancing operations and interconnect companies regionally and globally. While the final stages of electrification in Juba is set to finish by the end of the year; hand in hand, these transformations will create a conducive environment in advancing technological growth in South Sudan.

Generic top-level domain (gTLD) .com and .org domains have a commercial value and have been adopted by different entities adhering to universal regulations. Although these domains are internationally recognized, most companies find their website on the 23^rd page of Google and Yahoo search engines proving it difficult to compete with companies that spend millions of dollars on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools to get their company website visible on the first page of all the major search engine searches. The new offering of .ss opens up a new frontier in terms of country recognition, higher search rankings and marketing opportunities for the country code of South Sudan worldwide.

Benefits

The new top-level domain registration usage is expected to yield rapid growth prompting businesses to migrate from their current .com to the new .ss. Others will make additional sites for their South Sudanese branches. Most companies and entrepreneurs that want to extend their digital presence online find it hard to obtain their desired domain names because of the scarcity of names available. Now that will change simply by attaching the suffix .ss at the end, your chosen domain will be available and ready to purchase without compromising on your brand.

The new offering of .ss opens up a new frontier in terms of country recognition, higher search rankings and marketing opportunities..

Government institutions e.g. Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Petroleum and East African Community can launch credible and trusted websites uploading their datasets confidently as their stakeholders will recognize the authenticity of .ss. This also extends into unified email accounts for staff and senior officials, relinquishing the old traits of using generic emails of Hotmail and Gmail.

This also extends into unified email accounts for staff and senior officials, relinquishing the old traits of using generic emails of Hotmail and Gmail.

Challenges

The NCA will be the official body to administer and manage the country code top-level domain (cctld). This will be critical in protecting certain domain names under the trademark act. Trademark infringement could end up in a legal battle possibly damaging your business. The best way to avoid conflict is to conduct a thorough research of trademarks online before making a decision on registering a domain name.

Another great challenge derives from countries that have restricted their country code to be purchased with regard to the entity having a registered business/organization in the host country. This condition controls the narrative and content to be specifically related to the host country as search engine algorithms will always recognize the top-level domain geolocation. At the moment, South Sudan’s image is ravaged in war and uploads of countless reports add to the deficit. Choosing to protect the image and identity through the country code could help the country regain its foothold in reshaping its reputation online. However, the consequences of this regulation limits access to the vast pool of customers worldwide who hold sentimental attachment to the country code or creatively want to add the domain name to their brand for marketing reasons.

The Way Forward

The digital transformation of developing countries in Africa is accelerating, South Sudan is no exception in the journey to adopt technology in aligning itself with development goals. A change of mindset is needed to embrace new technology in South Sudan especially by its core players. This breakthrough along with pending projects should enable the government to strategically collaborate with the business community in positioning themselves at the forefront and spearheading civic engagements. The country code top-level domain  (ccTLD) is an important step in taking ownership and control of South Sudan’s digital footprint. By creating awareness of the impacts and benefits through education, the public will learn what it means to use and have a country code domain.

A collective approach will make a big impact in asserting one voice, making strides by fostering good practice in disseminating information through state and independent media outlets.

The government should play a significant role in furthering innovation in South Sudan by allowing technical lawmakers to formulate strong policies in addressing barriers and shortfalls around ICT development.

The NCA should add a layer of regulations for foreign parties in purchasing the country code for their own endeavors without having any connections to South Sudan carefully to safeguard the country’s interest.

This will strengthen confidence and encourage future investments in Information Communication Technology field to blossom while building capacity and encouraging the youth to take up Computer Science and engineering studies. We as South Sudanese nationals can enrich our own development through leading by example, becoming advocates and orchestrate the currency of change in creating a culture of adopting new technologies to empower our society and elevate our way of living.