"Everything changes. .swiss internet addresses stay the same."

MK The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) markets the .swiss domain. How long has this been the case? And how did the federal government come to provide the .swiss internet extension?RENÉ DÖNNI This has to do with the special nature and uniqueness of these Internet addresses. Firstly, the "Swiss" in .swiss is associated with Switzerland worldwide and thus stands for values that are of overriding importance to private interests. Secondly, you will only be assigned an Internet address under .swiss if you as a company or organization meet certain requirements. This distinguishes .swiss from other domain names. The Federal Office of Communications checks whether the requirements are met and, in the larger context, the operation of .swiss also makes sense because we, as the Federal Office, coordinate the implementation of the "Digital Switzerland" strategy on behalf of the Swiss Confederation. We have a supervisory role in the allocation process and are also committed to ensuring that the advantages of .swiss as an Internet address are known and can be used.MK Why do you think it is interesting for companies to switch to a .swiss domain? What are the advantages for business stakeholders?DÖNNI If you ask someone abroad what the .ch extension stands for, the answer may be China or Chile rather than Switzerland. On the web, you decide in seconds where and what you click and what you look at! .swiss stands for Switzerland worldwide. For export-oriented industries such as tourism, the .swiss extension offers clear advantages because it is immediately and unmistakably recognizable as a brand anywhere on the web. The same applies, of course, to e-mail addresses, business cards, etc. According to our discussions with brand specialists, .swiss is an inexpensive and simple solution to show your Swiss identity quickly and clearly. However, there is a second important aspect that goes far beyond export or clear identification as a Swiss company. The federal government examines every single award. Without a physical domicile in Switzerland, you as a company or organization will not receive a .swiss address. We are thus emphasizing what connects us all positively: solid values. And we are creating the certainty that Switzerland is inside where it says Switzerland. You benefit from this even if you are not active in a foreign market.MK Would you say that a .swiss domain also reflects the attempt to transfer positive characteristics of physical "Swissness" (reliability, security, tradition...) into the digital space?DÖNNI Not just an attempt. That's exactly what we're doing! In which only companies with a verifiable connection to Switzerland can register for a .swiss address and then use it to appear on the web. This makes .swiss an easily understandable seal of quality for products and services from Swiss companies and organizations worldwide. Quality, innovation and reliability do indeed play a role here. It's not an experiment because we're going through with it. We know that it takes time to establish a seal of quality. The headline in our advertising campaign reads: "Everything changes. .swiss Internet addresses remain."MK How do you rate the interest in the domain? How is this option being received?DÖNNI Over 10,000 companies and organizations from all sectors currently benefit from .swiss. These include Arosa-Lenzerheide and the Jungfrau Region, which position themselves with a .swiss Internet address, as do the chocolate manufacturer Ragusa, the listed real estate company Swiss Prime Site and the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, but what I believe is just as important as this five-digit figure is that security and identification are becoming increasingly important on the Web. And with .swiss, we are right at the forefront!MK How can such a domain be set up, where can I find information about it? And what does it cost?DÖNNI On our webpage dot.swiss you will immediately find all the necessary information for a .swiss Internet address. The process is handled by the registrars listed on our website. Setting up the address itself, i.e. the technical activation, does not differ in any way from the usual procedures and costs around 120 per year, depending on the registrar. This applies if it is not a so-called generic term, such as hotel.swiss or auto.swiss. These are only issued to service providers for the industry in question. They represent a huge opportunity and the prices are also in line with other geographic and premium domains. To date, I know of no seal of quality with comparable global appeal and no marketing measure that can be realized with 120.- per year.