Report on the Transfer of the .LY (Libya) top-level domain to the General Authority of Communications and Informatics

30 October 2025

This report is a summary of the materials reviewed as part of the process for the transfer of the .LY (Libya) top-level domain. It includes details regarding the proposed transfer, evaluation of the documentation pertinent to the request, and actions undertaken in connection with processing the transfer.

Factual Information

Country

The “LY” ISO 3166-1 code from which the application’s eligibility derives is designated for use to represent Libya.

Chronology of Events

The .LY top-level domain was initially delegated in 1997 to Mr. Khalil Elwiheishi at Alshaeen for Information Technology.

When Alshaeen was no longer able to manage the domain, Dr. Hosni Tayeb was designated as a temporary caretaker.

In 2004, the domain was transferred to the General Post and Telecommunications Company (GPTC), the Libyan national telecom operator. Mr. Marwan Maghur was appointed as the administrative contact at that time.

In 2005, the Libyan Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Company (LPTIC) was established pursuant to Prime Ministerial Resolution No. 63 of 2005 as a holding company for major telecommunications providers in Libya, including Libya Telecom and Technology (LTT), which serves as the technical contact for the .LY domain.

GPTC was officially dissolved in 2010 as part of a government restructuring of the telecommunications sector, and its responsibilities were reassigned to various entities, including LPTIC.

In 2011, the outbreak of the Libyan revolution triggered a period of unrest and political division. Throughout this period, LTT maintained responsibility for the technical operations of the .LY domain, while Mr. Maghur continued to manage the administrative functions, pending the establishment of a stable governance structure.

In March 2021, the Libyan House of Representatives approved the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU). The GNU, established through a process facilitated by the United Nations, is broadly recognized as the Government of Libya.

In 2022, the General Authority of Communications and Informatics (GACI) was established under Article 4.34 of Decision No. 49 of 2022 by the GNU Council of Ministers to assume legislative and management responsibilities for the .LY domain.

On 24 November 2022, the GNU Council of Ministers issued Resolution No. 985. Article 13 of the resolution assigns GACI the responsibility to “manage and organize the service of registering Libyan domain names on the international information network under the national domain .ly, and prepare the regulatory controls for that, including the definitions related to this activity, the terms and conditions for registering top-level domain names, the financial fee for registration, the requirements for applying for registration, reserved domain names and prohibited activities, matters related to objections to domain names, or requests to transfer, stop and cancel registration and limits of liability, and the conditions for accrediting agents by the competent authority, and other regulatory procedures for the service of defining domain names, taking into account simplifying the administrative procedures for registering domain names, and activating remote registration via the Internet.”

In 2023, representatives of GACI initiated discussions with ICANN and IANA about the process of updating the delegation record for the .LY domain.

On 9 April 2025, IANA received a formal request to transfer the management of the .LY domain to GACI.

Proposed Manager and Contacts

The proposed manager is the General Authority of Communications and Informatics (GACI), known in Arabic as “الهيئة العامة للإتصالات و المعلوماتية”.

The proposed administrative contact is Mr. Riyad Alzitouni, Manager of the International Corporation Office at GACI. Mr. Khaled Esheh, Senior Information Security Specialist at Libya Telecom and Technology, will remain as the technical contact.

Evaluation of the Request

String Eligibility

The top-level domain is eligible for transfer as the string for Libya is presently assigned in the ISO 3166-1 standard.

Incumbent Consent

The current listed manager of the .LY domain is the General Post and Telecommunication Company (GPTC). However, GPTC was dissolved in 2010, making it impossible to obtain consent from an authorized representative. Following its dissolution, GPTC’s responsibilities were reassigned to various entities, including LPTIC, the state-owned holding company that oversees LTT, which has served as the technical operator for the .LY domain since that time.

Public Interest

The Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU) established the proposed .LY manager GACI and is supportive of this request. A nominal alternative government, the Government of National Stability (GNS) was formed in 2022 but is not recognized by the United Nations and the broader international community as the country’s legitimate authority.

Government support for the transfer request has been submitted by:

  • Abdulbaset Albaour, Chairman of the General Authority for Communications and Informatics (GACI)
  • Riyad Alzitouni, General Manager for Regulatory Affairs at GACI
  • Salaheddin A. Etbeni, General Director of the National Information Security and Safety Authority

Khaled Altarhuni, Head of Systems Unit at GACI, serves as Libya’s representative on ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee.

Statements of support were also provided by the following significantly interested parties:

  • Dr. Sliman AbuRekhibi, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tripoli.
  • Prof. Dr. Hanan Dagez, the Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Tripoli.
  • Abdulhadi Naser, Chairman of Libyan Spider, a “pioneering entity in the domain name registration and cloud service provision landscape with a specialized focus on the .LY domain.”
  • Amin Salih, Chairman of Libyan Technology Foundation, a non-profit organization “dedicated to representing experts in information technology and computing in the Tech Community.”

GACI has reportedly established the Libya Digital Forum (.LY Annual Conference) as an annual event serving as the official national platform for the management of the .LY country-code top-level domain. The Forum convenes key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia, civil society, and the broader internet community to foster collaboration in support of Libya’s digital transformation objectives.

The application is consistent with known applicable laws in Libya. The proposed manager undertakes the responsibility to operate the domain in a fair and equitable manner.

Based in Country

The proposed manager is constituted in Tripoli, Libya.

The proposed administrative contact has represented that they are resident in Libya.

Stability

The application is not known to be contested.

We have not identified any stability issues with this request.

Competency

The application includes information on the technical and operational infrastructure and expertise that will be used to operate the domain. LTT will remain the technical services provider, and no operational functions will be transferred.

Proposed policies for management of the domain have also been tendered.

Evaluation Procedure

PTI is tasked with coordinating the Domain Name System root zone as part of a set of functions governed by a contract with ICANN. This includes accepting and evaluating requests for delegation and transfer of top-level domains.

A subset of top-level domains are designated for the significantly interested parties in countries to operate in a way that best suits their local needs. These are known as country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs), and are assigned to responsible managers that meet a number of public-interest criteria for eligibility. These criteria largely relate to the level of support the manager has from its local Internet community, its capacity to ensure stable operation of the domain, and its applicability under any relevant local laws.

Through the IANA functions performed by PTI, requests are received for delegating new ccTLDs, and transferring or revoking existing ccTLDs. An investigation is performed on the circumstances pertinent to those requests, and the requests are implemented where they are found to meet the criteria.

Purpose of Evaluations

The evaluation of eligibility for ccTLDs, and of evaluating responsible managers charged with operating them, is guided by a number of principles. The objective of the assessment is that the action enhances the secure and stable operation of the Internet’s unique identifier systems.

In considering requests to delegate or transfer ccTLDs, input is sought regarding the proposed new manager, as well as from persons and organizations that may be significantly affected by the change, particularly those within the nation or territory to which the ccTLD is designated. The assessment is focused on the capacity for the proposed manager to meet the following criteria:

  • The domain should be operated within the country, including having its manager and administrative contact based in the country.

  • The domain should be operated in a way that is fair and equitable to all groups in the local Internet community.

  • Significantly interested parties in the domain should agree that the prospective manager is the appropriate party to be responsible for the domain, with the desires of the national government taken very seriously.

  • The domain must be operated competently, both technically and operationally. Management of the domain should adhere to relevant technical standards and community best practices.

  • Risks to the stability of the Internet addressing system must be adequately considered and addressed, particularly with regard to how existing identifiers will continue to function.

Method of Evaluation

To assess these criteria, information is requested from the applicant regarding the proposed manager and method of operation. In summary, a request template is sought specifying the exact details of the delegation being sought in the root zone. In addition, various documentation is sought describing: the views of the local internet community on the application; the competencies and skills of the manager to operate the domain; the legal authenticity, status and character of the proposed manager; and the nature of government support for the proposal.

After receiving this documentation and input, it is analyzed in relation to existing root zone management procedures, seeking input from parties both related to as well as independent of the proposed manager should the information provided in the original application be deficient. The applicant is given the opportunity to cure any deficiencies before a final assessment is made.

Once all the documentation has been received, various technical checks are performed on the proposed manager’s DNS infrastructure to ensure name servers are properly configured and are able to respond to queries correctly. Should any anomalies be detected, PTI will work with the applicant to address the issues.

Assuming all issues are resolved, an assessment is compiled providing all relevant details regarding the proposed manager and its suitability to operate the relevant top-level domain.