The first round of registrations for the new TLD (top-level domain) .tel opened on Wednesday.
The new TLD isn't a run of the mill domain like, for example .com or .org. It's not about Web content -- instead it will allow both individuals and companies to store all their contact information in the DNS (Domain Name System) without the need to build, host or manage a Web site, according to Telnic, which is in charge of operating .tel.
.Tel is about making it simple for people to get in touch with a domain owner, according to Justin Hayward, communications director at Telnic.
"That might be listing a traditional telephone number or it may be about a Web site, but it can incorporate any and all forms of digital communications as it stands, including location records and also textual keywords that enable the .tel to be search-engine optimized," said Hayward.
He has decided to include, for example, phone numbers, his Twitter page, a Google Maps location and a Skype address at his domain, justin.tel.
"I have made it publicly available, but it could easily be privatized to protect the contact information from spammers," said Hayward.
Solving privacy issues is one of the reasons it has taken so long for .tel to get off the ground - Telnic was awarded the .tel domain in May 2006 - but those issues have now been resolved, according to Hayward.
Information associated with .tel addresses will be available to any device that is connected to the Internet. The user types in the address and a page with all the available contact information will come back, according to Hayward.
Users can then click on the information to start, for example, a chat session or a phone call. That will only work, of course, if the right application or functionality is in place.
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(Reuters)
