.Tel to be one stop shop for contact info

Stuart Corner
Monday, 15 May 2006 08:43

IT Policy - Regulation

Six years after its initial application UK based Telnic has finally gained ICANN approval for a new top level Internet domain, .Tel, which it proposes to use as a one-stop shop where individual and organisations can provide a range of contact information and control how they wish to be contacted.
According to Telnic, "by leveraging innovative DNS (domain name system) technology, the .Tel domain will allow anyone to publish and control, in real time, how they can be reached. The .Tel domain will enable people to reach a business from any Internet enabled device (computer or mobile) simply by typing, for example, 'Hertz.tel'.

"The user will then be able to connect directly to a Hertz representative or navigate through a list of services that Hertz may offer."

Telnic says the system will provide seamless integration of existing methods of communication and with emerging technologies like VoIP.

Telnic CEO, Khashayar Mahdavi, claimed that "The days of needing to remember several telephone numbers, numerous VoIP or instant message identities and other points of contact for our social and professional networks are over."

Individuals will be able to use the .Tel domain to publish and update their contact information directly in the DNS. According to Telnic, they will be able to decide, in real time, by what means their friends and colleagues will be able to reach them. These means could include: VoIP, conventional telephony (fixed-line or wireless), email, SMS, Skype, AIM and many more.

Telnic says it will release free application software that will enable .Tel domains to be integrated with the commonly used address books found in computer systems and mobile phones.

Telnic's was one of two proposals for .Tel submitted to ICANN in 2000, and both were initially rejected. Over the following several years Telnic worked to satisfy ICANN's requirements. However, it is not clear from presently available information how one of ICANN's initial concerns will be addressed.  The other proposal came from US company Pulver.com.

ICANN said at that time that "it is unclear whether there will be a connection between what names are used in this domain, versus other TLDs, ie. should the holder of example.com get example.tel, or examplecom.tel."

Telnic's website does not resolve this issue. It suggests that "the .Tel TLD will provide all domain owners (registrants) with an easily recognised Internet communications identity. The .Tel TLD will allow corporate registrants to extend their brands into the Internet communications space. For example, the Hertz car rental company is known on the web as www.hertz.com...hertz.tel provides the mechanism to accomplish this brand extension. For the customer, this provides a logical, easy-to-use and easy-to-remember identity."

There will clearly be many instances where, for example .com names are taken in other country domains by totally unrelated entities, especially in the case of smaller companies.

Telnic has given no indication of when .Tel names will be available, saying it will publish an official timetable for .Tel "in due course". They will be sold through ICANN accredited REGISTRARS or their resellers.

Potential owners of .Tel domains can register their interest at www.telname.com.