Advantages of a .tel Domain Name

The .tel top-level domain was accepted by ICANN as a sponsored TLD launched on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 to trademark owners of national effect. It opened on February 3, 2009 to anyone who wished to apply. Its primary purpose is to serve as a single management and publishing point for internet communication services, providing a global contacts directory service that houses all types of contact information directly in the DNS. The domain name is subsidized by Telnic Limited. The .tel domain name was added to the DNS root zone by ICANN in May.

Since several of the kinds of services that will use the .tel domains are inclined to mobile telephones, there may be a perceived overlap in the target market between this and the .mobi domain. The .mobi TLD was also approved by ICANN in the same round. However, this perception is incorrect. In simple terms, .tel is about publishing contact data - phone numbers, SIP addresses and so on, directly in the DNS. It is not based on  html websites. On the other hand, the focus of the .mobi domain is to provide web sites and contents that are specifically designed for the user interface available on mobile phones and other hand-held devices.

A second application for the .tel domain was developed by a company named Pulver. This application involved telephone number style that uses numeric identifiers. Alternative viewpoints asserted that this either complemented or conflicted with ENUM. All numeric identifiers not available in the form of .tel have been approved. EuroDNS was the initial registrar to sign an agreement with Telnic to sell .tel domain names.

Telnic publicly demonstrated the applications that allowed people to access .tel domain information without going through a web browser or the world wide web. Industry experts were positive with the success of the demonstrations, especially with how well the technically inclined people perceived the deal.

Telnic commenced its resource site for developers to enable them to work with the DNS resource records that are most commonly used in .tel, as well as releasing code for applications and plug-ins for the BlackBerry, Microsoft Outlook, Windows Mobile and iPhone. It was at this phase that discussions of .tel as the platform for the 'webless web' began. Information stored on the internet could be accessed without a web browser and the .tel information could be published to the web without needing to build, host and maintain a website.

Now, why should you choose a .tel as domain name? The .tel domain name enables you to create a fully interactive and live communications hub to take control over how and where customers communicate with you. Using .tel, you can publish all your means of communication. You can also store web links, geo-location data, and keywords describing your business. The .tel domain also provides you with an exclusive entry into the first global directory, allowing you to own and control all your contact information and update it in real-time whenever you wish. In contrast to existing directory services that are extremely fragmented and very expensive, the .tel option provides worldwide coverage, full control, and real-time updating for only a fraction of the cost. On the other hand, .tel allows you to easily route customers to the department or location of their choice using a quick and intuitive navigation structure based on innovative use of DNS technology.

There are other advantages to using .tel domains. The traffic generated by a .tel lookup is so small that it remains inexpensive for consumers. The data is also presented in such a simple way that .tel easily combines into address books and allows for advanced navigation on all mobile devices. Also, the Domain Name System is optimized for speed. And because .tel is DNS-based, the lookup takes just a fraction of a second. Furthermore, it is much quicker than loading a typical web page.

The only key limitation for .tel owners is the fact that they cannot host their own website on the domain. The IP address always has to point to the proxy page. Being so, pay per click advertising will not be possible. The instances of cyber squatting, wherein registrants register domain names of popular names or companies hoping to sell the domain name to the rightful owner, still remains as an industry problem. The .tel simply points to contact information. If the .tel owner contravenes the terms of the Acceptable Use Policy that each .tel owner has to abide by, there are a number of potential defenses prior to legal action which complainants can go through.

For individuals, if privacy is an issue for the information published, you can also select who you want to access the data you provide. It is also a secure way of sharing information between social networking accounts, and .tel owners will be able to put their .tel domain name as the contact information, protecting their valuable personal info while sharing information beyond the levels that are set by social networks.