ELECTRONIC ADDRESSING
As stipulated under section 179(1) of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 and section III of Part B of the Numbering and Electronic Addressing Plan (NEAP), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is responsible for devising, monitoring, and administering policy related to electronic addresses in Malaysia. In the NEAP, an electronic address is defined as a sequence of numbers which operates using the Internet Protocol (IP) to locate devices and may include Names (i.e. domain names).
MCMC work closely with ICANN, a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation created to promote competition and develop policy on the Internet's unique identifiers, namely IP addresses, Autonomous System (AS) numbers and Domain Name System (DNS). It is a community-based, consensus-driven organisation comprised of public sectors, private sectors, and technical experts who help define how these unique Internet identifiers function and expand. Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is a department of ICANN responsible for maintaining the registries of the Internet unique identifiers. IANA allocates IP address blocks to five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). RIR is a not-for-profit international organisation responsible for allocating IP address blocks within their respective geographical region. Currently, there are five RIRs worldwide:
- African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) for Africa (http://www.afrinic.net/)
- American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) for the United States, Canada, several parts of the Caribbean region, and Antarctica (https://www.arin.net/)
- Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) for Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring countries (http://apnic.net/)
- Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC) for Latin America and parts of the Caribbean region (https://www.lacnic.net/)
- Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) for Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and Central Asia (http://www.ripe.net/)
In performing its functions vested under section 179(1) of the CMA 1998, MCMC, through the Numbering and Electronic Addressing Management Department (NEAMD), actively participates in local and international discussions on policy and regulatory issues relevant to the existing environment and development of the electronic addresses including but not limited to the following:
- Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) – GAC is a formal advisory committee for ICANN composed of representatives of national governments. As a member of the GAC since 1999, MCMC contributes to providing input for any advice to be made to ICANN especially on issues of public policy, especially where there may be an interaction between ICANN's activities or policies and national laws or international agreements. MCMC also collaborated with ICANN to organise relevant capacity-building sessions, especially on DNS abuse and security.
- Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) – APNIC is the RIR for the Asia Pacific Region. As a member of the APNIC, MCMC significantly contributes to discussions concerning IP addresses and AS numbers, especially those related to the IPv6 adoption.
- Internet Governance Forum (IGF) – MCMC is also involved in the discussion concerning electronic addressing at the Internet governance platform such as the IGF and the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF). Among the discussions involved were Internet inclusivity, sustainability, abuse and security.
1. INTERNET PROTOCOL ADDRESSES
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, also known as Internet addresses, are unique identification numbers assigned to each user on the Internet and are used to route information traffic. It is similar to the mailing address assigned to an individual address (residential or business address). An IP address must be unique and follows a specific structure. With the availability of internet-enabled devices directly linked to the internet, each device requires a unique IP address. Essentially, all devices, including computers, smartphones, or any internet-enabled devices, will identify each device on the network via IP addresses.
Currently, the IP addresses for the Asia Pacific region will be allocated by APNIC and be subjected to the policy developed at the APNIC level including all assignment holders located in Malaysia. On top of that, the IP assignment holders in Malaysia shall also be subjected to subsection 11 of Part B of the NEAP, which highlights relevant policies and regulations pertaining to IP addresses, including the conditions of use and the obligations of the IP assignment holders.
As of 31 December 2023, there are a total of 356 IP assignment holders located in Malaysia. The list of IP assignment holders can be found through the following link:
https://rex.apnic.net/resources?economy=MY&rir=afrinic,apnic,arin,lacnic,ripencc&allocationType=ipv6,ipv4
Type of IP Addresses
There are two types of IP Addresses currently being used in Malaysia:
IP Version Four (IPv4)
IPv4 addresses utilise 32 binary bits to craft a unique network address, yielding 4.3 billion distinct addresses. This format incorporates four decimal numbers, each separated by a dot (.), referred to as "dotted decimal notation".
IP Version Six (IPv6)
IPv6 addresses employ 128 binary bits, generating a unique address for networks and end-users. This format can produce approximately 340 undecillion addresses. It adopts eight sets of four hexadecimal digits, each set separated by a colon (:). Technically, due to the massive number of IP addresses, each person or device can be assigned an individual IPv6 address.
Due to the exponential growth and demand of the Internet, IPv4 will no longer be able to support the growing numbers of Internet users and new technologies. IPv6 was developed with the primary purpose of solving the IPv4 address limitation. The need for MCMC to ensure that Malaysia migrates towards IPv6 is desirable and necessary as those connected with IPv6 may be unable to reach those still on IPv4 and use all the features on a website. In encouraging the adoption of IPv6 among networks and users in Malaysia, MCMC has developed a series of documents advocating for the adoption of IPv6 within the country. These documents include:
- Guidelines on IPv6 Implementation and Compliance Test
- Commission Direction No. 2 of 2015 on Adoption of Internet Protocol Version Six (IPv6) in Malaysia
- Code of Practice for the Deployment of Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)
- Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) – Equipment Compliance (First Revision)
- Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Deployment Requirements to Complete Transition to IPv6
Autonomous System (AS) numbers are unique two-byte numbers used as identifiers to allow it to exchange dynamic routing information with other Autonomous Systems. Exterior routing protocols such as the Border Gateway Protocol (“BGP”) require AS numbers to exchange information between networks. Similar to IP addresses, AS numbers are currently assigned through APNIC, which begins with the alphabet “AS” followed by a number and alphabet. Similar to IP addresses, AS numbers are also currently allocated by APNIC and are subjected to the policy developed at the APNIC level. Under the NEAP, provisions on AS numbers are stipulated under subsection 12 of Part B of the NEAP.
As of 31 December 2023, the holders of AS numbers in Malaysia are 305. The list of these holders of AS numbers can be found through the following link:
https://rex.apnic.net/resources?economy=MY&rir=afrinic,apnic,arin,lacnic,ripencc&allocationType=asn.
3. DOMAIN NAMES
Computers identify and connect on the Internet through IP addresses configured in numerical forms. DNS serves as the translator that translates a domain name meaningful to humans into an IP address. For example, the domain name
www.google.com translates to the addresses 142.250.199.46(IPv4) or 2404:6800:4001:808::200e(IPv6).
Domain names are organised in a hierarchical manner whereby the highest level of the hierarchy shall be placed as the last component or label of each domain name. Domain names can be divided into two (2) major categories, which are the Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) and the two-letter country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD).
Generic Top-Level Domain (“gTLD”)
gTLD is a domain name extension with three or more characters which includes unrestricted gTLDs (.com, .net, .org), sponsored gTLDs (.aero), geographic gTLDs (.asia) and Internationalised Domain Names, amongst others. gTLD is guided by the policies and guidelines issued by the ICANN. All gTLDs are managed, operated and placed under the purview of their sponsoring organisation and/or a registry operator approved by the ICANN. Under subsection 13.1.5.1 (c) of Part B of the NEAP, any gTLD concerning geographic names related to Malaysia shall obtain written non-objection from the Commission.
Country Code Top-Level Domain (“ccTLD”)
In accordance with the ISO 3166-1 list (Codes for the Representation of Names of Countries and Their Subdivisions) maintained by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency, ccTLD is a designated two-letter TLD delegated to a specific country or territory. Examples of ccTLDs are .my, .sg and .uk. ccTLD is operated according to local policies adapted to meet the economic, cultural, linguistic, and legal circumstances of the country or territory involved.
.my is a ccTLD designated for Malaysia and placed under MCMC’s purview as per section 179(1) of the CMA 1998. MCMC appointed MYNIC Berhad (MYNIC) to manage and maintain .my ccTLD via a Letter of Appointment dated 8 October 2021. As a person responsible for managing and maintaining .my, MYNIC’s main tasks include the management of .my domain name database and registration, except in matters concerning developing and determining policy for .my domain name, which lies upon MCMC’s responsibility.
There are eleven categories of .my domain names managed by MYNIC as follows:
| Domain Name |
Purpose |
| .my |
Malaysian individuals and organisations |
| .com.my |
Commercial organisations/activities |
| .net.my |
Network-related organisations/activities |
| .org.my |
Organisations/activities which do not qualify for other categories |
| .edu.my |
Malaysian educational organisations only |
| .gov.my |
Malaysian government organisations only |
| .mil.my |
Malaysian military organisations only |
| .name.my |
Malaysian individuals’ personal use only |
| .coop.my |
Malaysian co-operative organisation only |
| .biz.my |
Business organisations/activities |
| .<state>.my |
States agencies, commercial organisations/activities and individuals residing in the state |
If you are interested in registering domain names under .my or would like to have further information about .my, kindly visit MYNIC’s website at the following link:
https://mynic.my/.
4. INQUIRY
Any further inquiry about Electronic Addressing can be submitted through the following:
NUMBERING AND ELECTRONIC ADDRESSING MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
MALAYSIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MULTIMEDIA COMMISSION
MCMC HQ Tower 1, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6
63000 Cyberjaya
SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN.
Tel: +60386888000
Email:
[email protected]
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