Indonesia launches domain names in Nusantara scripts

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The ICANN87 annual general meeting in Bali launched second-level domain names using Balinese and Javanese scripts and Arabic-based Nusantara scripts, including Pegon, Jawi and Arab Melayu.

Although the domain names are available, Indonesia's digital ecosystem still faces technical challenges before the scripts can function across applications, websites and email systems.

Heru Nugroho, chair of the Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Working Group at the Indonesian Internet Domain Name Registry (PANDI), said here Wednesday that Universal Acceptance (UA) is key to ensuring equal treatment for scripts and languages online.

"This challenge aligns with the Universal Acceptance policy brief published by UNESCO and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 2026," Nugroho said.

The brief says that although IDN and Email Address Internationalization (EAI) standards exist, many digital systems still cannot properly recognize and process multilingual domains.

Universal Acceptance calls for all valid domain names and email addresses, regardless of language or script, to function across digital systems without technical barriers.

According to UNESCO, adopting UA could boost local digital economies, expand access to online public services and help preserve traditional languages and scripts from marginalization.

To build a more inclusive internet, PANDI is urging cooperation across sectors.

The government is expected to require UA compliance in public-sector IT procurement, while developers should adopt it as a software standard and academics should strengthen local digital-literacy education.

In Indonesia, developing Nusantara-script domain names is part of a global effort to make the internet more inclusive.

Nugroho said success should be measured not only by whether domain names can display traditional scripts, but also by whether digital applications and services can use them.

"Without support from an inclusive digital ecosystem, traditional scripts risk becoming increasingly marginalized," he said.

An inclusive internet, he said, does not make users uniform; it allows every community to connect with the world without losing its cultural roots.

Related news: Nusantara script standardization document approved by commission

Translator: Farhan, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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