"South Africa is currently the continent's largest and most sophisticated  economy and perhaps this has a bearing on the country's attitude towards the digital space," added Dundas. "There is a growing awareness amongst South African businesses that they can be competitive internationally and as a result they have taken a strategic view to take expand their brands to an international level using the internet."

South Africa's economic superiority played a role, given that the application fee was $185,000 payable to ICANN and an organization would have to add legal and application consultancy costs. ICANN had provided financial support, but only three out of the 17 applicants indicated interest in the financial support.