.TEL to open towards end of 2008

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.TEL to open towards end of 2008

http://idnclub.com/showthread.php?p=22672

Details of the .TEL launch programme are still being finalised, but the new suffix is not expected to open before Q4 2008.

We last discussed the .TEL launch in detail with the people at Telnic during the Los Angeles ICANN meeting. Then planned as early as May, the .TEL Sunrise has since been delayed.

While the general gist of the launch programme has not changed, the Sunrise is now scheduled for October at the earliest. Telnic's aim is still to introduce .TEL through a simplified process. A single phase, 60-day, first-come first-served, Sunrise with no provisions for auctions or pre-registration lists. Trademarks with national effect will be the only rights considered (community and Benelux trademarks will be allowed, but not US state trademarks for example) and these will have to have been registered before May, 30 2008.

Sunrise requests will be validated by a team from Deloitte, headed by Bart Lieben, who already has extensive experience from handling both the .EU and the .ASIA validation processes.

Backend registry services will be provided by .BIZ registry Neustar.

Telnic plans to impose a three-year registration minimum for Sunrise requests. The same three-year minimum could also stay in force for the Landrush, although a final decision on that has yet to be taken.

The Landrush itself could start two months after the Sunrise has ended, although Telnic considers that dragging out the .TEL launch in such a manner could be detrimental and may therefore bring the Landrush forward. Similarly, the length of the Landrush has yet to be finalized, current options under consideration being 30 or 60 days.

All this leads to a probable Q1 2009 go-live date for .TEL.