South Sudan Officially Allocated .SS ccTLD

The Republic of South Sudan has officially been designated the .SS country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) in an announcement from the ISO (International Organization for Standardization).

As well as the ccTLD, South Sudan was allocated country codes for passports and financial transactions. These codes are a basic requirement for the world’s newest country, the Republic of South Sudan

The Republic of South Sudan has officially been designated the .SS country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) in an announcement from the ISO (International Organization for Standardization).

As well as the ccTLD, South Sudan was allocated country codes for passports and financial transactions. These codes are a basic requirement for the world’s newest country, the Republic of South Sudan.

Remarking on what the establishment of a country code means for a new country like South Sudan, Gérard Lang, Chair of the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency, explains, “ISO country codes are fundamental for the international recognition and activities of a country. Without them, a country cannot have a currency code or Internet ccTLD, or even issue machine-readable passports.

“Country codes are essential in banking transactions, as they form part of codes like IBAN (international bank account number), BIC (universal bank identifier). They are also used in various legal, cultural and scientific exchanges which range from numbering of archaeological sites to online identification of a user’s geo-location. One could say that country codes are one of the building blocks underpinning globalisation and, in particular, communication and exchanges on the web.

“It was therefore crucial to establish ISO country codes for South Sudan as soon as possible. Now that the process has been finalised, the country can go ahead with other basic tasks like issuing a currency code,” emphasised Mr. Lang.

ISO 3166 country codes are widely used as abbreviations to identify countries in contexts such as postal addresses, transportation, passports, library coding systems and online payment systems. Many codes, such as those for currencies and banking, are based on these. They have largely replaced some 70 different systems of country codes developed over time by individual countries, and public and private sector organisations, eliminating potential for confusion.

The ISO codes are assigned under transparent procedures by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency which makes them available free of charge. ISO assigns the codes, but does not determine whether a territory is a country. ISO 3166 codes are automatically assigned to any new member admitted to United Nations and its name listed in either the Terminology Bulletin Country Names or in the Country and Region Codes for Statistical Use (M49 numerical country code assignments) maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division.

The two-letter codes are the most commonly used, while the three-letter codes are for special uses where a closer identification of the code with the full name of the country concerned is required. They are used notably in machine-readable passports meeting the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

South Sudan To Get .SS Country Code

The newly created country of South Sudan has been allocated the .SS country code by an International Telecommunications Union special council of Ministers resolution

The newly created country of South Sudan has been allocated the .SS country code by an International Telecommunications Union special council of Ministers resolution.

South Sudan came into being as a nation on 9 July when it officially separated from the Republic of Sudan following a referendum of people in the former Sudan.

The .SS country code will soon be issued Madut Biar Yel, Minister for Telecommunications and Postal Services, told BNO News. Biar said the ministry has applied for the ccTLD but did not have a date when it would be formalised.

“A country code may seem like a small thing, but it is a real signifier of sovereignty and independence,” said Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General, ITU, speaking of the allocation of the international dialling code 211.

Much the same could be said, and in this day and age probably even more so, of the importance of the allocation of the .SS country code Top Level Domain as this is instantly recognisable.

“We join with the international community in congratulating the government and people of South Sudan on achieving full nationhood. As a young developing country there will be challenges, but the power of modern connectivity will bring a tremendous boost in areas such as commerce, health and education. ITU is here to help with advice on the necessary steps towards improved connectivity.”