The top-level domain (TLD) “.MQ” is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Martinique, a Caribbean island that is an overseas department and region of France. Top-level domains are the highest level in the DNS structure of the Internet. There are several types of TLDs, including generic TLDs (such as .com, .org or .edu), country-code TLDs (like .uk for the United Kingdom or .fr for France), and sponsored TLDs (such as .gov, .mil or .aero).
Introduced in 1995, .mq is an approved ccTLD by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). The IANA is a department of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that manages global IP addresses and domain names. As they mention in their database, the .MQ domain is currently managed by SYSTEL, a Martinique’s telecommunications company and Internet Service Provider (ISP).
However, a peculiar aspect about .mq is that as of January 2022, it is not actively accepting any more registrations. The .mq domain registrant, SYSTEL, no longer accepts applications for .mq domain names. It is not clear when or if this policy will change. Hence, while businesses or individuals interested in securing a ccTLD to establish a web presence in Martinique could potentially look to .mq, it would currently not be possible to register such a domain.
The reasons for this can vary, and it’s up to the individual ccTLD registry to manage how they allocate domain names. Factors can include national policy, technical capacity of the registry, or the demand for domains in that territory. In certain cases, some ccTLDs may not permit any additional registrations because all existing domain names are in use, or the ccTLD may have been phased out. For example, the ccTLD .um for the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands was phased out in 2008.
Even though .mq is currently not accepting registrations, it is not uncommon to use alternative gTLDs or ccTLDs to establish an online presence, such as .com, .org, .net etc. Moreover, the French ccTLD .fr can also be a viable alternative for those looking to establish a digital presence in Martinique, given that the island is a region of France.
Sources:
1. “ccTLD Database.” Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
2. “Country code top-level domain.” Wikipedia.
3. “About IANA.” IANA.
4. “List of Internet top-level domains.” Wikipedia.
5. “About ccTLDs.” ICANN.
6. “.mq register,” Register.mq.
7. “About .UM domain names,” ICANN.
