.ch internet domain names
The Switch foundation carries out the technical management of the .ch domain in relation to the global internet domain name system on behalf of OFCOM. Switch also provides the service for accessing the registration data for .ch domain names (RDDS, formerly WHOIS). Since 2021, the personal information of holders of .ch domain names is no longer accessible via this service.
Switch to continue managing the .ch internet domain
The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) has decided to continue working with the Switch foundation to manage the .ch internet domain extension. Operational continuity, security requirements and satisfaction among market participants led OFCOM to redelegate the registry function to Switch. The new contract enters into force on 1 January 2027.
Management of the .ch internet domain – Switch’s services valued highly
Stakeholders in the internet domain name market in Switzerland are very satisfied with the services Switch provides for managing the .ch internet domain. This is the conclusion of a satisfaction survey conducted by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) in March 2025. The registry’s key partners rated its various services very highly and expressed no objections to continuing their cooperation with Switch in future.
Adaptation of the regulations concerning the publication of registration data in .ch domain
The revision of the Ordinance on Internet Domains (OID), which entered into force on 1 January 2021, contains important changes to the rules on the publication of registration data for the .ch domain in order to protect privacy. Personal information concerning the holders of .ch domain names, such as name and postal address, is no longer be published via the RDDS (formerly WHOIS) service provided by the registry Switch. Such information is only accessible to persons who can reasonably be expected to have an overriding legitimate interest.
Registry and Registrar functions
The registry function consists of collecting the registration information about individual domain names necessary for the Domain Name System (DNS) in a central database and publishing it in the "Internet zone file". Through the entry in the "Internet zone file", services and applications (internet websites, e-mail) can be identified via the domain names and are therefore made accessible worldwide to internet users. The registry therefore operates and maintains a database in which all domain names with a particular extension such as .com, .net, .ch, etc. are grouped together.
Registrars are official providers of domain names and offer their services to end customers. Registrars are contractually and operationally linked to the registry. Separation of the registry and registrar functions has become widespread as the current model in the management of top-level (ccTLD and gTLD) domains.