Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) just approved the .mobi domain last week, now they have approved an application for .tel domain.

The new .tel domain hold contact details for companies and individuals, which will be used to store contact information, and visitors can then click the .tel domain through mobile phone, web, e-mail or Instant Messenger (IM) contacts.

Quoted:
The .tel contract negotiations are not guaranteed to be successful, but Mahdavi expects to have a contract in three to six months. “It will take another six months ’sunrise period’ to start up,” he said. “I would expect somewhere in 2006, to meet with our community and develop the .tel domain.” After this, .tel domains could be bundled with other communications services.

Hopefully, Telnic, the company that applies for the approval, is expecting to offer .tel domains by the end of 2006. In fact, the idea of using .tel domain was rejected last year, but somehow get the nod from ICANN this time.

Anyway, personally, I do not think .tel domain is useful. What do you think?