.tel landrush begins February 3

The .tel top level domain, which strives to become the standard for virtual contact information will finally be available for public purchase on February 3, more than two and a half years after it received ICANN approval. A .tel domain is intended to be a virtual rolodex card, a place where a business or individual can store phone numbers, addresses, userIDs and even GPS coordinates that launch appropriate communications protocols when clicked.

Corporate launch for the domains took place on December 3, and the global consumer landrush will begin on February 3. During that time, it will be around $300 to purchase a .tel domain for three years. Normal pricing will then go into effect on March 24, when it will be about $10 to $20 for a name per year. Pricing will vary by registrar.