Govt to resume vehicle domain issuance amid new measures
The existing pool of domains currently relies on three- or four-digit numbers, a format that has attracted considerable interest, especially from young people.
The Ministry of Transport on Saturday announced a revival of vehicle domain issuance in the Maldives, set to begin next month.
This decision comes after a halt in domain sales by the previous administration, which had identified significant issues with counterfeit domains containing desirable numerical combinations.
According to Transport Ministry records, over 700 fake domains were circulated in the market, leading to major concerns about system integrity and customer trust.
The existing pool of domains currently relies on three- or four-digit numbers, a format that has attracted considerable interest, especially from young people.
The Ministry’s press release emphasised that domain services remain highly popular among younger demographics, who have been eager to invest in these unique identifiers and related services.
Reflecting on the Ministry’s primary challenges, a spokesperson explained, "The biggest challenge to restarting the service was the lack of a robust record maintenance system within the Ministry."
Previous domain records were reportedly unregulated, leaving the domain issuance process vulnerable to counterfeiting and untraceable transactions.
To prevent a recurrence of these issues, the Transport Ministry has introduced several reforms to establish a more secure and transparent process:
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Enhanced Record Maintenance and Monitoring: A stronger system will be developed to maintain accurate and accessible records of all issued domains.
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Regulatory Framework for Sustainable Service Delivery: New regulations will guide domain issuance and establish a sustainable service structure. This framework will also support effective monitoring to address issues as they arise.
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Security-Enhanced Documentation: All documents linked to domain issuance will be fortified with security features to safeguard authenticity and prevent fraudulent alterations.
Earlier this year, Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen addressed the prevalence of counterfeit domains in the Maldives, revealing that approximately half of the country's 1,400 vehicle domains are counterfeit.
