A new top level domain extension was launched yesterday. The extension .tel is slightly different from other extensions in that it is designed to be used as a facility for keeping contact details on the actual Domain Name Server. The idea is that companies can list their phone numbers, addresses, emails etc. on a .tel domain to make it easier for people to contact them. How this will work in practice and what benefits it will actually provide are open to question.
Currently, someone looking for a company's contact details will find the company website and click on the contact page. If enough companies use it, it is hoped the .tel domain will act as a huge phone book, providing contact details in a standard format.
According to Khashr Mahdavi, chief executive of Telnic, the UK based company that is overseeing the project, "The launch of .tel represents the most significant innovation in the domain name system since the advent of .com". That the .tel launch is a departure from other recent new domain extensions such as .mobi and .eu is very true as the .tel domains won't actually point to websites in the way other extensions do. All information will be held on the core Domain Name Servers (DNS).
Telnic is encouraging developers to build applications and web-services by providing resources such as source code and APIs around the information contained on the domain. The company has already written software to allow iPhone, Blackberry and Microsoft products to utilise the system.
There is currently a two-month "sunrise" period where companies with trademarks can apply for .tel domains for their brands and businesses. On February 3rd 2008 the domains will be available for public sale on a first come-first-served basis.
ICANN, the body in charge of internet domain extensions announced earlier this year that they planned to increase the number of non-geographic extensions, releasing custom extensions such as .hotel or .shop for a fee to anyone willing to buy. Extensions for Africa and Latin America are expected soon too.
