Welcome Guest Login | Register | Site Map | | Make TelecomTiger my homepage     
Telecom News
Enterprise |  Policy & Regulation |  Mobiles & Tabs |  Corporate |  VAS |  People Movement  |  Technology  |  LTE

Interview

 
 



“.tel is the biggest innovation in the internet”

Fabien Chalandon
Vice Chairman, Telnic
 
  TT Bureau |  | 06/03/2009

Aspiring to serve the users as yellow pages for internet users, .tel domains are expected to go live within a week’s time. TelecomTiger catches up with Fabien Chalandon, Vice Chairman, Telnic who spells out the concept behind .tel and India business plans.

 

Q.1) What is the concept behind.tel?

Ans: .tel is the biggest innovation in the Internet since the launch of .com. We are using the system behind the World Wide Web (called the DNS) in a completely different way to publish contact and other information rather than website addresses to a variety of different devices. We are putting the control of that information back into the hands of the .tel owner. By registering your .tel you''''re effectively staking your claim to your place in the cloud that is completely under your control, for as long as you want it to be.  And the independence stretches to the communications channels that you want to publish under your .tel domain.

 

Q.2) What is the global registration figures recorded for .tel and what are the numbers from the Indian market?

Ans: In the restrictive Sunrise period (Dec 3, 2008 to Feb 2, 2009) – the period when trademark owners can apply for domains to protect their trademarks, we received more than 10,000 application around the world. The quality of those brands and the breadth of companies are very impressive. Asian brands such as Honda, Sony, Samsung and PCCW, have registered. Many registrars that we are talking to who do sell direct say that they’re seeing much higher level of interest and pre-orders than other recent TLD launches.

 

Q.3) How do you think enterprise or individuals stand to benefit from the concept?

Ans: .tel aims to become the yellow pages for Internet users who are seeking contact information for both individuals and businesses. Unlike normal Web sites, which are often laden with graphics, animation and text, .tel requires no website and transmission of data from DNS directly is lighting quick as it hosts only ‘lightweight’ contact information. This expedites the process of information retrieval, a crucial consideration when users are surfing on their mobile devices. Traditional Web sites are about content while .tel is about contact information and cutting out the unwanted content in a situation where people just simply want to connect with an individual and business in the fastest way possible.

 

Q.4 ) Do you think lack of awareness of the concept may prove a major challenge to be overcome for its success?

Ans: All innovations take time to really catch on. 100 years ago when the telephone was invented it took some time to catch on. Now it evolves in a lot of formats like mobile phone and skype which we find indispensable. Time will tell how significant this launch becomes. We believe it has the potential to accelerate tremendous change in the way people find and connect with one another in ways we have yet to even imagine.

 

Q.5) Any particular instance or unique application which you have come across any where across the globe using the .tel concept?

 

Ans: .tel offers an open source platform for developers, enabling them to create new applications and services. As well as resources, code, toolkits and the .tel management console, Telnic has also released beta versions of applications on the site that can be used on BlackBerry devices, iPhones and Windows-based PCs. These applications integrate with the address book and make them dynamically updated with information stored in a .tel owner’s domain. They are free to download, under an open source license, and can be used as models for new types of applications around communications, directory services, location-based services, search and social networking, designed to exploit the DNS-based .tel service.

 

Since December 4th, .tel has been in a launch phase that has allowed trademark holders to reserve their domain and also to give individuals an opportunity to reserve a .tel before they become widely available on March 24th.

 

The first .tel domains are expected to go live within a week and we will see major brands and individuals starting to make use of the new domain. 

 

Q.6) Your service depends a lot on mobile internet. In India the end-user experience with using mobile is not high owing to connectivity issues and also the price associated with the usage. Do you think it may prove bottlenecks against the adoption of .tel concept in the Indian market?

Ans: .tel has unlimited application potential. For example, an India telecom operator is looking into developing an application which will help their customers find the contact details of company or person upon receipt of SMS from user. They’ll then do a quick search on the DNS data in .tel and reply the requested contact information with SMS. This service does not only cope with the low mobile internet penetration at the moment, but also is a value-added service to consumers and extra source of revenue to the telecom operator.

 

.tel sites require virtually no data download, so they can be accessed rapidly from any mobile device with Internet access.  The level of data transfer that occurs when a user accesses a .tel should mean that cost is not an issue at all. 

 

Q.7) What are your business plans for the Indian market?

Ans: .tel sunrise registrations are already closed. Landrush is open to everyone and have begun from February 3, 2009. Landrush applications will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. General Availability is open to everyone and will begin on March 24, 2009. General Availability applications will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

In India, domain name registrars like Net4India and Directi are inviting applications for registering the .tel domain, which is available for about Rs 3,000 for three years with a processing fee of Rs 13,500. The processing fee goes to World Intellectual Property Organisation. The General Availability will open on March 24, which will be available for Rs 999 for a year.

    
 mail this article    print this article    Show and Post Comment
  
Whitepaper
Maintain Business Continuity with Cisco ASR 9000 nV Technology
It is a virtual chassis solution where a pair of ASR 9000 routers acts as a single device by maintaining a single contr...read more
Simplify Your Network with Cisco ASR 9000 nV Technology
With the new Cisco Network Virtualization (nV) technology in the Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers, se...read more
Cisco Small Cell Solution: Reduce Costs, Improve Coverage
It is designed to address the challenge of mobile service coverage and to expand network capacity...read more
Other interviews
Kirusa’s newly launched InstaVoice ReachMe app provides unique telephony experience for users
95%+of the products delivered today by iVOOMi is made in India
A large proportion of our product and solution portfolio is directly relevant to 5G networks
RS Sharma on the status of Digital India
Cloud telephony is the best suited medium to reach out to the masses
"Smartphones have an integral part to play in the connected world of future"
“Domestic (Indian) brands are taking a larger share of the market every month”
“I do not expect much impact on tariff for consumers”
“We would be focusing on LTE 4G solutions in 2014 in India”
“We will start rolling out 4G LTE services by end of this financial year”
After advent of LTE technological innovation is much more challenging
“Our green technology can reduce diesel consumption by 56%”
“We expect 3G revenue contribution to be at par or exceed 2G revenue”
"We are strengthening our service capabilities in India"
“We partner with right technology and utilize our competitive advantage”
Indian VAS market is huge and effectively receptive
We are looking at growth in India
3G, 4G to fuel MVAS growth
Introduction of data plans at the right price and packaging key to growth
Smartphones will be major catalyst for mobile advertising growth in India
Despite challenges VAS market will continue to grow in India
Indo-US defense ties have created opportunities for T&M industry
3G penetration will help expand VAS market in India
ZTE has formed an enterprise solutions team for enterprise business in India
Telecom operators are looking forward to deploy green wireless solutions
Our value proposition to hotels has been well accepted
Effective mobile campaign management can boost operator’s business
Interpreting and analyzing data is vital for successful business
Unified Communications is transforming India Inc
Bill shock makes 90% Indians switch off data connection
LTE will ensure lower capital investment
'We need to come quickly to LTE': J S Sarma
'Corporate war fueling 2G controversy:’ A Raja
Ruckus Wireless’ WBA solution promises cost effective alternative to WiMAX in urban areas
Mobile data services the new opportunity for Indian operators to increase ARPU feels Comverse
Capgemini foresees huge scope for engagement with Indian Mobile Operators to drive Rural uptake
“Waiting for competition to tap the $ 150 mn agri-info MVAS market along with us”: RML
“Already serving more than 657 mn ad displays monthly in India over mobile web”: Admob
“Our international reach will be our main differentiator for mobile financial services,” says Roamware
Sterlite Technologies plans multi-fold organic growth to break into the global top league
Entry of 3G will make Broadband Services more appealing in India, says NSN
Picocell as a tool for Customer Retention, the ip.access way
WiMAX not a 4G technology, only LTE is, says Ericsson CTO
No business case for WiMAX in rural India….definitely not, says Qualcomm India
Delta carving out differentiation around Green Quotient of its telecom site power solutions
TI’s new chip makes way for Smaller, Denser, Cost-effective wireless base station design
Qualcomm India: “Well-positioned to serve both GSM & CDMA operators for 3G migration”
UTStarcom: IPTV far more relevant technology to India than any other market in the world
“Decision to foray into CDMA space is with an eye on data services” says Sistema Shyam’s CEO
‘Fixedline infrastructure can never deliver broadband across India’ says GSMA Director
Loop Mobile: Engaging and then exciting our subscribers is the core focus of all our communication initiatives
With voice being commoditised, SMS set to assume greater role, foresees Tekelec
"The race is still anybody's to win in the mobile browser market," declares BOLT
“WiMAX has seen very good traction and adoption in India”, says Tata Elxsi
India’s largest mall on your mobile: ngpay
Economic slowdown has no impact on Airtel, says Akhil Gupta
Synchronica fully supports legal interception unlike RIM, says CEO
Motorola says uniquely positioned to best serve critical technology demands of enterprises in India
Tandberg: Real value of video-conferencing solution should be measured on usability and benefits
DTH, WiMAX and Billing to be new focus areas for Oracle India
Wireline Services will bounce back, says Chairman MRO-TEK
Motorola well-positioned to play a major role in India’s next phase of growth, says Mohanty
Aircel will double its network by 2008 end
‘We are migrating to full IP Network’, says MTNL director (technical) Kuldip Singh
Sistema will offer competitive tariff, Mobile TV in India
Mobile TV is a distant dream in India
IT & BPO growth story will continue
Redefining rules of the game