ICANN has announced plans to phase out the .SU domain within five years, a decision that could impact other country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) in the future.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has formally notified the administrator of the .SU domain of its plan to gradually retire the Soviet-era country code top-level domain (ccTLD) by 2030.
Current Status and Management of the .SU Domain
The .SU domain is still open for registration and has approximately 100,000 active domain names. It is managed by the Russian Institute for Development of Public Networks.
On February 6, 2025, ICANN’s Public Technical Identifiers (PTI), which oversees the operations of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), sent a private letter to the .SU administrator, informing them that the .SU domain will be phased out by 2030.
ICANN’s ccTLD Retirement Policy
ICANN’s decision follows the ccTLD Retirement Policy, which was developed by the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) and approved by ICANN’s board in 2022. Under this policy:
• When a country or territory is removed from the ISO 3166-1 standard, its corresponding country code top-level domain (ccTLD) must be retired.
• The standard retirement period is five years, but ccTLD operators may request an extension of up to five additional years.
Although .SU was removed from the ISO 3166-1 list back in 1992, ICANN delayed any retirement action until the ccNSO finalized the formal retirement policy in 2022. Now, after two years of preparation, ICANN is moving forward.
Next Steps: Official Notice and Potential Extension
According to PTI’s letter, ICANN had planned to issue an official “Notice of Removal” on February 13, 2025, to publicly announce the decision and officially begin the five-year countdown. However, as of now, this notice appears to have not yet been sent.
[UPDATE: On March 13, 2025, during the Public Forum at ICANN 82, ICANN’s CEO stated that the formal notice has not yet been issued.]
Once the process is officially initiated, .SU is set for removal by 2030, unless the administrator and PTI agree on an extension.
The letter also notes that there is a possibility of a policy change that could allow .SU to remain active, but such a change would require approval through the ccNSO, and there are no indications of such discussions at this time.
Geopolitical Impact and Potential Consequences
This decision comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, and any action involving Russia may attract political scrutiny and increase pressure on ICANN.
Additionally, how ICANN handles .SU may set a precedent for the retirement of other ccTLDs. For example:
• The United Kingdom plans to transfer control of the British Indian Ocean Territories to Mauritius. If the ISO code “IO” is removed from the ISO 3166-1 list, it could trigger the retirement of the popular .IO domain.
As ICANN formally moves forward with its ccTLD retirement process, it remains to be seen whether the pressure of an impending removal will lead to any policy changes.
News Source:domainnamewire，This article does not represent our position.
