For more information on the unique new .tel TLD that I recently wrote about, take a look at this CircleID post.

I’m not sure where this is headed.  If its use becomes widely accepted, having the right .tel address might become very valuable.  If not, it might become useless.

for the London Free Press – Dec 1, 2008

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A recent decision by the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization responsible for global co-ordination of the Internet’s addressing system, will permit companies and individuals to turn their names into Web addresses: www.david.canton, for example.

The wrinkle? The fee to obtain .canton as a TLD, or top level domain, is about $200,000.

This year, ICANN relaxed the strict rules on TLDs, paving the way for alternatives to .com and the 21 generic TLDs serving the Net. There are also country-level TLDs such as .ca for Canada.

Now ICANN is about to allow new generic top level domains (gTLDs) that anyone can create, opening the door for companies to register their brands as gTLDs, such as “.coke”.

“The Internet has produced great openness and innovation that has led to changes few of us imagined,” said Paul Twomey, ICANN’s president and chief executive. “The effect of opening up the top-level of the domain system will enable more innovation and entrepreneurial applications.”

ICANN also plans to introduce domain names in various languages and scripts, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish and Russian. This proposal would permit Internet addresses to be created in completely non-English characters for the first time, opening the Internet to millions more people worldwide.

Currently, the addressing system only supports 37 Roman characters. ICANN’s chairperson, Peter Dengate Thrush, has said this move “is going to be very important for the future of the Internet in Asia, the Middle East, eastern Europe and Russia.”

ICANN’s proposal is not without its critics, however. Opponents argue that it will be costly, difficult to administer and could lead to bidding wars over more generic names.

In addition, trademarks will not be automatically reserved. Owners will have to resort to an objection-based mechanism to make arguments for the protection of their trademarks.

ICANN assures critics that these concerns have been “listened to and taken into account.”

The organization released a draft of the applicant guidebook on Oct. 23, 2004, for those interested in applying for a new gTLD. On Oct. 24, 2008, ICANN began the first of two 45-day public comment periods.

ICANN warns, however, that “potential applicants for new gTLDs should not rely on any of the proposed details of the draft guidebook, which remains subject to further consultation and revision.”

With the final applicant guidebook slated for release early next year, ICANN expects to accept bids for new gTLDs as early as the second quarter of 2009.

During the application period, which is expected to be limited, “any established entity from anywhere in the world can submit an application that will go through an evaluation process.”

New gTLDs could be in use as early as the last half of 2009.

ICANN expects additional application periods will follow soon after the initial process ends.

For the London Free Press – November 24, 2008

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The new .tel Internet top level domain, or TLD (.com is an example of a TLD) launching soon may revolutionize the way we keep in touch — assuming it becomes widely adopted.

The new .tel domain, sponsored by Telnic Ltd., essentially acts as a contact directory. Individuals or corporations will be able to unify their contact information by storing, updating and publishing all contact information directly on the Internet without having to buy, design or create a website or host. The contact information can include phone numbers, addresses, websites, blogs, social networking and more.

Information about .tel is immediately available through any web browser.

The purpose of the directory is to help manage and exchange contact information about people and companies. When an individual adds a contact’s .tel to their cellphone, BlackBerry or address book, they are getting more than a phone number or e-mail address. They get all the contact information that the individual has included in their .tel listing.

One of the key attributes of the new .tel is that a recipient never has to update contact information. It is a single management and publishing point for Internet communication services. Any updates .tel owners may make to their .tel will be relayed automatically to any recipients of that .tel. For instance, if the individual moves, changes jobs, telephone numbers or e-mail, the new information is automatically available in the digital address book of the recipient.

From a business standpoint, .tel ensures existing or prospective customers, partners and employees can quickly and easily communicate with the right people and departments within the company.

Privacy is addressed by allowing individuals to filter their own content and decide who sees what information. One can, for example, set different security levels for information available to the public, information available to business colleagues, co-workers, friends or family members.

Domain names under .tel are assigned on a first come, first served basis. Trademark owners are being offered a sunrise period running from Dec. 3 to Feb. 2, so they can claim their .tel addresses ahead of the line and not risk losing their names to competitors during later registration periods.

For a premium price, “landrush” registration will be available not only to trademark owners, but also to keen registrants from Feb. 3 to March 24, 2009. Pre-bookings will be available until Feb. 3.

If you want to ensure rights to your .tel domain name, the time to sign up is now.

The concern over .tel is whether it will become popular. An individual or trademark owner may pay a premium to register their .tel domain name only to see the program fizzle. If you wait and it does become popular, it may be too late to get a .tel domain name matching your trademark.

More information on .tel is available on the web, including at domain registrar webnames.ca.