Only Three Nusantara Characters Entered the Internet Domain, PANDI is Preparing for the Launch at ICANN87

Fadli Zon. (IST)

JAKARTA - Indonesia has at least 26 Nusantara characters, but only three are registered as internet domain names based on local characters. The three are Javanese, Balinese, and Pegon.

The Indonesian Internet Domain Name Manager or PANDI is preparing to launch Internationalized Domain Names or IDN Nusantara Letters in the ICANN87 forum in Bali in October 2026.

The plan was discussed in a meeting between PANDI and Culture Minister Fadli Zon in Jakarta, Wednesday, July 22.

IDN allows internet addresses to be written using characters other than Latin. With this system, regional characters can be used as valid and easily recognizable digital addresses.

PANDI noted that 44 countries have local character-based domain names. Indonesia still faces a big job because most of the Nusantara characters have not entered the system.

"I appreciate the efforts of PANDI and the observer community who are trying to bring the Nusantara alphabet to remain present in the digital space," said Fadli.

According to Fadli, digitization is needed so that regional scripts are not only stored in manuscripts or used in limited activities. The script needs to be used in daily life and introduced to the younger generation.

The development of IDN Aksara Nusantara also requires Unicode standardization and Indonesian National Standards. Unicode is an encoding system that makes letters and symbols readable uniformly by digital devices.

PANDI prepares a digital ecosystem through four areas, namely regulation, technology, education, and utilization. The program is directed so that the Nusantara alphabet can be used on websites and other digital services.

Since 2019, PANDI has also held a writing and storytelling competition using regional characters.

Fadli supports the implementation of more extensive workshops and competitions. He also encourages the Nusantara alphabet to be included as a local load in schools.

"Schools are the most effective space by including the Nusantara alphabet as a local load," he said.

Indonesia is hosting ICANN87 which brings together the world's internet governance stakeholders. PANDI will use the forum to introduce the Nusantara Aksara IDN to the international community.

Fadli also asked for the transliteration and translation of inscriptions from various regions, whether made of stone, metal, or tin. This step is aimed at expanding public access to historical sources while preserving knowledge about old scripts.