The new “.tel” gTLD utilizes and builds upon all of the existing policies in place for gTLD's today. However, as a restricted TLD, specific modifications to existing polices have been recommended to reflect the unique operational elements of the ".tel" TLD. In addition, three new policies are proposed:

Domain Naming Policy: Definition of valid domain names in the ".tel" restricted TLD.

Registration Validation Policy: Definition of the role that Accredited Registrars must play in confirming that ".tel" registrants have "day to day" control over the e164 numbers that they are registering in the ".tel" TLD.

Conflict Resolution Policy: Definition of the role that Accredited Registrars and Registrants must play in working with the Registry to resolve conflicts over control of e164 numbers registered in the ".tel" TLD in a smooth and efficient fashion.

E2. TLD String

The TLD String proposed for this new gTLD is “tel”. This string adheres to RFC1034 and RFC1123 for the characters used in this name.

The name “tel” represents an internationally acceptable well-understood acronym identifying “telephone”. This definition is also referenced in RFC2806 section 2.7.2 which uses the string “tel” to define the URL scheme identifying a “telephone number” by using “tel” as the URL scheme name.

In the context of this top-level domain the string “tel” refers to “telephone number” which is used to derive a valid domain name. “tel” represents the best possible choice given the use and meaning of the domain names to be registered in this gTLD.

E3. Naming Conventions

As a restricted top-level domain, the naming policy effectively defines the utilization of the ".tel" TLD within the Internet-Telephony industry. The objective of ".tel" is to enable telephone number subscribers to register their numbers on the Internet via the ".tel" TLD. As such, sub-domains of "tel" may not be arbitrarily defined; rather they are defined in accordance with the ITU E.164/I.331 [14] standard. A valid e164 domain name under the ".tel" TLD is defined as follows:

- Start with a complete telephone number: 1-212-332-1234

- Remove all non-numeric characters: 12123321234

- Reverse the order of the number: 43212332121

- Separate by dots: 4.3.2.1.2.3.3.2.1.2.1

- Add the appropriate domain: 4.3.2.1.2.3.3.2.1.2.1.tel

Additional naming issues that will be considered by iTAB over the coming year include the role of ".tel" in presence management, instant messaging, and personal profile management. Recommendations for names in delegated zones will be suggested through standards efforts to standardize an application’s use of “.tel”.

The “.tel” Registry is responsible for enforcing these restrictions in the registry’s zone before accepting a registration from a Registrar. The Registrars are also expected to adhere to this policy and should not attempt to register invalid domain names in the .tel gTLD.

Registrants of the “.tel” gTLD are only allowed to register domain-names that correspond to and identify valid, assigned, and in-service E.164 telephone numbers. A registrant associated with a domain-name must have or have been delegated the “day-to-day” control of the E.164 telephone number corresponding to the domain-name being registered as defined in the Domain Naming Policy for .Tel in Appendix F.

For additional details regarding these naming conventions please see Appendix F.

E3.1 DNS Delegation with regard to Naming Conventions.

The registry uses internal DNS delegation at levels prior to the sub-domain that defines a complete E.164 number. External delegation outside the registry may occur only after the last digit that finally defines a complete E.164 number.

                       6.4.tel  (not a valid .tel domain name)

                 7.9.8.6.4.tel  (not a valid .tel domain name)

         3.2.1.6.7.9.8.6.4.tel  (not a valid .tel domain name)

       4.3.2.1.6.7.9.8.6.4.tel  (valid .tel domain name)

The concept of registering a “block” of numbers (i.e. “8.6.4.tel”) that represent an entire exchange or area code of telephone numbers is not allowed within the “.tel” gTLD. Domain names representing a single E.164 number are to remain independent thereby enabling individual subscribers to select among competing service providers for various services.

E4. Registrars

The “.tel” policies conform to and promote an open environment encouraging a large number of Registrars to participate in the ".tel" restricted gTLD.

iTAB proposes to utilize the existing ICANN accreditation process for “.tel” with specific modifications to the Registration Accreditation Process as required by the ".tel" TLD. Modifications and additions to the ICANN original documents that describe the changes for “.tel” are highlighted in Registrar Accreditation Process for .Tel (Appendix A) and Registrar Accreditation Agreement for .tel (Appendix B).

Registrars will be required to enter into a license agreement with NetNumber.com, the Registry. The agreement defines the relationship and responsibilities between the registrar and registry including the rights to specific software enabling registrars to add, change, and delete entries in the “.tel” gTLD. The relationship is similar to the current relationships between NSI and other accredited registrars for the NSI registry. Details that define this for “.tel” are highlighted in the NetNumber Registrar License and Agreement for .Tel found in Appendix C.

Domain-name holders will deal directly with Registrars and not with the Registry. The ".tel" TLD places two key responsibilities on the Registrant-Registrar relationship:

Registration Validation: Registrants are required to verify that they are in fact the entity that has "day to day" control over the e164 telephone numbers that they are registering in the ".tel" TLD. Registrars are responsible for validating this information. Specific mechanisms for validation are proposed in the Registration Validation Policy for ".TEL" found in Appendix G.

Conflict Resolution: Registrants and Registrars are both required to agree to abide by the ".tel" Conflict Resolution Process which provides a mechanism for resolving conflict between two Registrants who both claim to be the entity with "day to day" control over a given e164 telephone number. Details can be found in the Conflict Resolution Policy for .Tel found in Appendix E.

It is envisioned that new registrar organizations will emerge into the market that specifically deal with the “.tel” domain. In particular NetNumber anticipates that communications service providers will incorporate the Registrar process into their existing sales and service procedures.

As a means of stimulating the growth of ".tel" Registrars, NetNumber has proposed modifications to existing Registry billing mechanisms and WHOIS administration procedures:

Registry Billing: NetNumber will provide all baseline Registry services at no cost to all accredited Registrars during 2001. In addition, Registrars will be billed on a monthly basis rather than on a yearly basis to more closely align Registry fees with the existing billing procedures of the global communications industry.

Registry WHOIS Service: NetNumber will provide a complete WHOIS database service for use by all accredited Registrars thus eliminating the requirement for Registrars to operate their own 24 x 7 WHOIS database environments.

E5. Intellectual Property Provisions

E5.1. What measures will be taken to discourage registration of domain names that infringe intellectual property rights?

E.164 numbers are being viewed as Intellectual property and/or trademarks of the subscriber who maintains “day-to-day” control over the services for an E.164 number. Registrants registering a domain name derived from an E.164 number in bad faith will be charged a fee if the automated resolution process is deliberately delayed and the registrant holding the registration is proven not to be in “day-to-day” control.

E5.2. If you are proposing pre-screening for potentially infringing registrations, how will the pre-screening be performed?

Each registrar of “.tel” gTLD is required to support the Registration Validation Policy for .Tel which is designed to perform validation or “pre-screening” for all domain names prior to completing a valid registration. For a description of how validation is performed please see Paragraph 4 in that policy.

E5.3. What registration practices will be employed to minimize abusive registrations?

There will be a contractual agreement between the registrant and the registrar requiring the registrant to declare that he/she has day-to-day control of the E.164 number. Falsifying registration data may result in fees to be paid based on the dispute resolution process for the “.tel” gTLD.

E5.4. What measures do you propose to comply with applicable trademark and anti-cybersquatting legislation?

Trademark and anti-cybersquatting issues are resolved through the Registration Validation Policy for .Tel.

E5.5. Are you proposing any special protections (other than during the start-up period) for famous trademarks?

Please refer to section E5.4.

E5.6. How will complete, up-to-date, reliable, and conveniently provided Whois data be maintained, updated, and accessed concerning registrations in the TLD?

The WhoIs database for .tel will be provided by the Registry as a complete service unlike the current WhoIs database of .com, .net, and .org. Please refer to Section D15.2.8 for more detail.

E6. Dispute Resolution.

The foundation draft of the iTAB Conflict Resolution Policy calls for the Registry operator to support an automated process for alerting Registrars of conflicts and an automated mechanism for helping Registrars to resolve conflicts in a timely and cost effective fashion.

NetNum