The Top-Level Domain (TLD) ‘.si’ is the Internet country code for Slovenia. It is managed by the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (Arnes). Internet standards, such as those dictated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) describe how these TLDs should work.
As explained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), “.si” was assigned to Slovenia on September 27, 1991. This assignment was in accordance with ISO 3166 which dictates that each country should have a unique two-letter country code. This standard has been maintained to give each country its unique Internet identity and to prevent any confusion on the global platform.
As the national registry for .si, Arnes has some guidelines. For instance, any individual, organization, or company located within Slovenia or connected to Slovenia can register a .si domain. More detailed information is available on their official website.
As for examples, ‘gov.si’ is the domain for Slovenia’s government portal, offering access to public services, and ‘rtvslo.si’ is the domain for the national broadcaster.
In addition to these, companies also use ‘.si’ domain names. An example can be ‘mercator.si’, the official website of Slovenia’s largest supermarket chain, Mercator. Another example of a Slovenian company using the .si domain is Telekom Slovenije, the largest telecommunications provider in Slovenia, which operates at ‘telekom.si’.
The .si domain is widely used by organizations, institutions, and individuals in Slovenia for various purposes, including commerce, education, information dissemination, communication, and more. According to Arnes statistics, as of the end of 2021, over 130 thousand domain names were registered under the .si top-level domain, illustrating its broad usage in the Slovenian internet community.
Sources Used:
1. IANA: .si Domain Delegation Data
2. The official usage statistics from the registry of .si domain, Arnes
3. Official Arnes website for the policy and guidelines for .si domain usage.
4. ISO 3166 – Country Codes
5. Websites ‘gov.si’, ‘rtvslo.si’, ‘mercator.si’, ‘telekom.si’
In summary, ‘.si’ is the Internet country code top-level domain for Slovenia managed by Arnes. Its usage position, guidelines, and the examples of domains illuminate the importance and the footprint of this TLD on the Slovenian part of the internet.
