The domain name .tel is a top-level domain (TLD) in the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet. It was approved by ICANN as a sponsored top-level domain, and is operated by Telnames. The domain's purpose is to provide a single name space for Internet communications services.

History

ICANN and Telnic Limited (now Telnames) entered into a Sponsored TLD Registry Agreement on 30 May 2006 for operation of the .TEL top level domain.

The .tel domain experienced a rapid initial registration phase upon its launch. Following its "Landrush" period, the domain became available for General Availability on March 24, 2009, and surpassed 100,000 registrations within the first 36 hours. This initial momentum continued, with the registry reporting over 300,000 domains registered by January 2010. However, the TLD's popularity declined in the following decade. By early 2012, the number of registered domains had dropped to 256,566. As of October 2025, that number had fallen to approximately 145,000 registered domains.

The initial idea behind .tel was for it to work like a public contact card on the internet. Instead of building a normal website, the owner of a .tel domain used a special control panel (provided by Telnic) to enter their contact information (like phone numbers, email, etc.). This information was stored directly in the DNS records.

Registration

.tel domains can be registered by any individual, business, or organization through an accredited registrar for a term of one to ten years. Domain names must be between 1 and 63 characters. As of March 13, 2017, registrants are permitted to use their own name server and hosting, rather than being required to use the registry's built-in directory service. All registrations are subject to the .tel Registration Rules and Acceptable Use Policy.

References

  • IANA – whois information

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