Landrush for .tel domain begins tomorrow

The .tel landrush period runs from 3 February to 23 March

Companies that missed the opportunity to register their trademarks with the new .tel top-level domain (TLD) will get another opportunity with the opening of the landrush period from 3 February.

The sunrise period of registrations reserved for trademark owners ran from 3 December to 2 February. The .tel TLD will be open to all from tomorrow until 23 March.

However, domain registry Telnic will be charging a premium price during the landrush period to discourage domain name speculators and cyber-squatters, according to the firm's chief executive, Khashayar Mahdavi.

The .tel domain differs from regular TLDs such as .com and .uk because, rather than store IP addresses for web servers, it links directly to content and information stored on the domain name server. A .tel address therefore offers companies a single page to publish all contact and communications details, which can be kept updated in real time, explained Mahdavi.

"It is a tool for companies, public and governmental agencies and individuals, and a lot of people are now realising how powerful this is," he said. "We are the convergence point for telecoms, the internet and directory services."

The new TLD could be a big success, depending on how well organisations want to market their .tel domains, according to Thomas Herbert, product manager at hosting firm Hostway.

"For businesses it is an important one, and I think it will take off and be adopted far quicker than, say, .mobi," Herbert said. "So firms must remember that it is better paying the $400 [£280] now than arguing in a [dispute resolution case] later."

The domains will be offered on a first-come first-served basis to guarantee the fairest method of distribution, said Mahdavi.

Phil Kingsland, director of marketing at .uk registry Nominet, said that one of the biggest drivers for registering .tel would be brand protection.

“Companies should have a clear and robust domain name strategy in place, so that when new TLDs such as these - and there may be potentially many more coming
with the new ICANN process for allocating TLDs opening up this year - come onto the market they are ready for them," he added.