.tel
| Introduced | 2005 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Sponsored top-level domain |
| Status | Approved |
| Registry | Telnames Limited |
| Sponsor | Telnames Limited |
| Intended use | Contact Details |
| Registration restrictions | None |
| Structure | Direct second-level registrations are permitted; single digits and single-numeric domains are restricted |
| Documents | ICANN New sTLD RFP Application, Policies |
| Dispute policies | UDRP, Sunrise dispute resolution procedure |
| Registry website | Telnames |
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 Telnic. Telnic announced in January 2011 that over 300,000 domains had been registered since the start of general availability on 24 March 2009. A substantial drop of mostly IDN .tel's occurred at the beginning of 2014. The total number of registered websites under .tel as of 9 October 2023 is approximately 43,227.
The domain's purpose is to provide a single name space for Internet communications services. Subdomain registrations serve as a single point of contact for individuals and businesses, providing a global contact directory service by hosting all types of contact information directly in the Domain Name System, without the need to build, host or manage a traditional web service. Additionally, as of July 2010, every .tel domain acts as an OpenID and an increasing number of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) clients can address a .tel domain name directly. The TLD implementation also supports the hCard micro-format.