.tel is now available for registration
.tel is a new sponsored top-level Internet domain approved by ICANN in March 2006. .tel stores and encrypts a variety of contact information directly into the Domain Name System and may evolve to become a sort of online phone book. Launched in December 2008 to business and organization trademark holders, .tel domain names become available to the general public in February 2009.
After the land rush period closes on March 24, 2009, the price of securing a .tel domain name will drop dramatically. Though it stands to reason that the availability of names might not be as favorable as during the .tel land rush, the price per year for the domain name drops from approximately $150 a year to around $20 a year.