Knowledge Base >>Domain names >> ccTLD >> Repurposed
Quasi-generic extensions are country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) used like generic TLDs, without geographic restrictions. They behave commercially like .com or .net, despite being ccTLDs.
Some countries or territories have chosen to take advantage of the appeal of their ISO code to widely market domains under their extension. This is particularly the case for:
In other cases, generic domain names are used by registries that have obtained responsibility for TLDs corresponding to territories that have no use for them and have preferred to transfer them. Sometimes, as in the case of .IO, .SH, .AC (Identity Digital) or .NU (ISoc), registries have obtained management of TLDs by taking advantage of old, very informal allocation contributions, and have then used the TLDs for their own benefit, without any benefit for the territory corresponding to the TLD.
Penny TLDs, or Penny-ccTLDs, are free or freemium extensions. Their list changes over time, depending on the commercial strategies of the registries. Until 2024 and the cessation of Fremium's activity, these were essentially .CF (Central African Republic), .GA (Gabon), .GQ (Equatorial Guinea), .ML (Mali), .TK (Tokelau Islands) and .ML (Mali). For the time being, only registration under the Gabon .GA extension is possible again, but only for people and organisations based in Gabon or with a link to the country. The .PW extension for the Palau Islands is sometimes included in the group of Penny TLDs, given its low registration price. It is managed by the Radix registry.