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    • .tel

    Sponsored top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .tel is a sponsored top-level domain operated by Telnames (Telnic) intended to provide a global contact-directory namespace.
    • Instead of returning host locations, .tel stores contact information directly in DNS records (phone numbers, SIP addresses, email, hCard data, etc.).
    • The TLD supports OpenID and was adopted by some VoIP clients; it also supports hCard, OAuth-based publishing and encrypted DNS-stored contact data.

    History

    • Approved as a sponsored TLD and operated by Telnames/Telnic. Sources note launch activity in 2005; icannwiki lists introduction and implementation dates (Jan 22, 2007 / Mar 1, 2007).
    • Key rollout dates and milestones:
      • Telnic began accepting registrations after a trademark Sunrise period on 3 February 2009.
      • General availability began on 24 March 2009.
      • By January 2011 Telnic reported over 300,000 registered .tel domains.
      • A substantial drop in mostly IDN .tel registrations occurred at the start of 2014.
      • On 13 March 2017 Telnic allowed custom name servers for .tel domains, enabling ordinary DNS records and use for web hosting and email.
      • Domain counts were approximately 43,227 as of 9 October 2023 (registrarstats data cited).

    Usage and Audience

    • Typical users: individuals and businesses that want a single, global contact point for publishing contact details.
    • Common use cases and technologies:
      • Publishing phone numbers, SIP addresses and other contact records directly in DNS.
      • Acting as OpenID identifiers.
      • Integration with VoIP clients and contact-syncing applications.
      • Support for hCard and OAuth-enabled third‑party clients for secure publishing.
    • Reception notes:
      • Domain investors largely avoided .tel because domains could not be parked and required integration with the registry's Telhost API.
      • Some registrars declined to support .tel due to required control-panel and API integration costs.

    Registration Rules

    • Registry and sponsor: Telnames Limited (Telnic).
    • Structure: direct second-level registrations are permitted.
    • Restrictions and special rules:
      • The registry indicated "None" under restrictions in its documentation, but specific policies applied during launch periods (Sunrise, Landrush, General Availability).
      • Single-digit and single-numeric domains were restricted/withheld to avoid ENUM confusion; numeric-only and short numeric domains were later approved for release by Telnic in 2011 (with single-digit exceptions).
      • Initially registrants could not set custom name servers; domains pointed to the registry's Telhost service and were populated via Telhost/Telnic APIs. Since 13 March 2017 other name servers can be set.
    • Dispute policy: UDRP (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy) and a Sunrise dispute resolution procedure were applied.

    Technical Details

    • .tel stores user contact data directly in DNS resource records rather than only returning IP addresses of hosting machines.
    • Telnic enabled encryption of DNS records (described as using 1024-bit RSA with PKCS#1.5 in registry materials) and arranged storage to support private/public key access so some records can be hidden until permissioned.
    • Telhost: a registry-provided proxy/web interface originally displayed contact data stored in the .tel DNS; registrars could integrate with Telhost API to provision registrants.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Trust and reliability:
      • The presence of an initial trademark-only Sunrise suggested potential for authoritative contact data, but after Landrush and General Availability anyone could register available names, so data is no more inherently trustworthy than any other user-populated DNS data.
    • Market perception and adoption:
      • Lack of traditional parking and the requirement to integrate with Telhost discouraged many domain investors, reducing aftermarket activity.
      • Some registrars chose not to support .tel because of integration costs.
      • The .tel zone has experienced shrinkage in registrations over time (reported contraction and drops in IDN registrations).
    • Positive positioning:
      • Native support for OpenID, VoIP addressing, hCard and OAuth gave .tel a distinct functional niche for contact and identity-related applications beyond conventional web hosting.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Alternative application: Pulver.com (Jeff Pulver) submitted an alternative .tel proposal focused on numeric telephone-style identifiers.
    • Registry decisions and changes:
      • Telnic approved release of short and numeric-only .tel domains in 2011 while withholding single-digit names.
      • In 2017 Telnic enabled custom name servers for .tel domains, allowing ordinary DNS records and standard web/email hosting.
    • Usage examples and technology adoption:
      • .tel domains were used as OpenID identifiers and by an increasing number of VoIP clients to address domains directly.
      • The registry documented support for hCard, OAuth and encrypted contact data to facilitate portability and selective disclosure.

    Operator

    Telnames Ltd.

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       TEL

organisation: Telnames Ltd.
address:      16 Charles II Street
address:      London SW1Y 4NW
address:      United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         TLD Administrative Contact
organisation: Telnames Ltd.
address:      16 Charles II Street
address:      London SW1Y 4NW
address:      United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)
phone:        +44 20 7467 6450
fax-no:       +44 20 7467 6451
e-mail:       asagar@telnic.org

contact:      technical
name:         ironDNS Support
organisation: Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH
address:      Martin-Schmeisser-Weg 9
address:      Dortmund North Rhine-Westphalia 44227
address:      Germany
phone:        +49-231-9703-0
fax-no:       +49-231-9703-200
e-mail:       dnsmaster@irondns.net

nserver:      ANYCAST10.IRONDNS.NET 195.253.64.12 2a01:5b0:4:0:0:0:0:c
nserver:      ANYCAST23.IRONDNS.NET 195.253.65.11 2a01:5b0:5:0:0:0:0:b
nserver:      ANYCAST24.IRONDNS.NET 195.253.65.12 2a01:5b0:5:0:0:0:0:c
nserver:      ANYCAST9.IRONDNS.NET 195.253.64.11 2a01:5b0:4:0:0:0:0:b
ds-rdata:     31166 8 2 1d7b6aada1a03510077f789a75184ca61a6fe3176a263d1be52bce89355caa8d

whois:        whois.nic.tel

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.nic.tel

created:      2007-03-01
changed:      2024-03-18
source:       IANA

    Registrars