.tel Domain Registration India
.tel is a generic top-level domain, run by Telnames Ltd. since 2017, that stores a contact record in the DNS instead of hosting a normal website. WebJi® lists it at ₹1,411 for the first year and ₹1,728 to renew, before 18% GST. It is a niche pick for one-link contact cards, not a full website domain.
An honest Indian buyer's guide to .tel: DNS contact records, the 2017 Telnames reset, pricing and what the extension cannot do.
INR billing
- Registration
- ₹1,411/yr
- Renewal
- ₹1,728/yr
- Term
- 1–10 yrs
- Billing
- INR + GST
Live check across 297 extensions on our billing system — registration, renewal and transfer prices are shown before you pay.
Last editorial update: 15 November 2026.
What is a .tel domain, and what makes it different?
.tel is a generic top-level domain designed around one idea: the name itself holds a structured contact record inside the Domain Name System, rather than pointing at an ordinary website. The registry's own published description calls it "a contact directory housing all types of contact information directly in the Domain Name System" — so buying johnsmith.tel has traditionally meant buying a live contact card, not a web address you host yourself.
This is the honest starting point for an Indian buyer: .tel is a niche, legacy-flavoured extension. It works, it resolves, and it has a small devoted user base, but it is not a substitute for a normal website domain, and this page does not pretend otherwise.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Generic top-level domain |
| Registry manager | Telnames Ltd., 16 Charles II Street, London, UK |
| Original delegation report | 22 January 2007 |
| Registry change | Transferred to Telnames Ltd. per IANA report of 3 May 2017 |
| DNSSEC | Secure delegation, one DS record (RSA-SHA-256) |
| Technical platform | ironDNS anycast nameservers (Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH, Dortmund) |
| Registry site | nic.tel |
From 2007 landline promise to 2017 reset
.tel predates the modern new-gTLD wave by seven years: IANA's delegation report is dated 22 January 2007, when the idea of typing a name into any device and reaching a person's phone numbers felt futuristic. The original operator built the model of contact data stored in DNS records, editable through a registry panel instead of a hosting account.
In May 2017 the zone changed hands — IANA's transfer report of 3 May 2017 moved .tel to Telnames Ltd., which repositioned the extension around a hosted contact-page service. The concept survived; the presentation modernised; the audience stayed small. Anyone evaluating .tel today should confirm with WebJi® exactly what the current registry platform permits — whether the name can host a full site, serve mail, or only display the registry-managed record — before building plans on it.
Who in India still buys a .tel name?
The realistic Indian buyers are people whose contact details are the product: sole traders, consultants, local agents and professionals who want one short link that lists phone numbers, WhatsApp and an address. Think of it as a digital visiting card printed on the DNS itself.
| Buyer | Name idea | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance consultant | yourname.tel | Phone, email, WhatsApp, calendar link |
| Insurance or MF agent | policies.tel | Office address and call numbers |
| Property dealer | plotwala.tel | Site office contacts for walk-ins |
| Practitioner's front desk | clinicfront.tel | Appointment phone and timings |
| Event or Expo desk | expohelp.tel | On-site helpline numbers |
If the plan is a real website with pages, hosting and mail, choose a general extension instead — the domain registration India hub lists them all from ₹809 a year.
What .tel costs at WebJi®
Registration lists at ₹1,411 for the first year and renewals at ₹1,728, before 18% GST — ₹1,664.98 and ₹2,039.04 respectively once GST is applied. A three-year renewal-budget scenario at today's prices is ₹4,867 before GST (₹1,411 + ₹1,728 + ₹1,728): a planning figure, not a prepaid quote.
| Extension | Registration (₹/yr) | Renewal (₹/yr) | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|---|
| .tel | ₹1,411 | ₹1,728 | Registry-held contact record |
| .me | ₹2,038 | ₹2,146 | Personal-brand site, full hosting |
| .directory | ₹1,815 | ₹2,205 | Listings and catalogues you host |
| .in | ₹1,000 | ₹1,000 | Cheapest full Indian identity |
Prices read from WebJi® billing on 4 November 2026; checkout confirms current charges.
Rules and technical limits to know first
Registration itself is unrestricted — anyone can buy an available .tel name — but the extension's architecture is the real constraint. Because the concept stores contact data in the DNS at the registry, a .tel name may not behave like an ordinary domain that you point at any web host; verify what the current platform supports before purchasing with a specific site plan in mind.
- Eligibility: open; no documents, no category test.
- Hosting reality: the classic model serves a registry-managed record — confirm current capabilities with WebJi® at checkout.
- Verification: a working registrant email remains mandatory.
- Premiums: short names may carry registry premium pricing, quoted before payment.
An honest verdict: .tel versus a normal domain
Buy .tel only if the one-link contact card is genuinely what you want; buy .me, .directory or .in if a website is the goal. For the same money — often less — a general extension gives you hosting freedom, mailboxes and room to grow, and no extension carries a Google ranking advantage anyway.
- .tel — the contact-card concept, kept faithful to its 2007 design.
- .me — personal branding on a fully hostable name.
- .directory — when the listing is a site you control.
- .in — ₹1,000 flat, hosts anything, recognised everywhere in India.
Managing the name after purchase
Day-to-day, a .tel name lives or dies by renewal discipline, because the contact record stops resolving the moment the name lapses. Enable auto-renew, keep the registrant mailbox current, and read the domain renewal guide for the grace and redemption sequence. If you hold names elsewhere and want them under one roof, the domain transfer page explains auth codes and the 60-day lock; a full website or business email setup will need one of the general extensions above.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs .tel today?
Telnames Ltd., a London company at 16 Charles II Street, has operated .tel since IANA's transfer report of 3 May 2017. Technical resolution runs on ironDNS anycast nameservers operated by Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH of Dortmund.
How old is the .tel extension?
IANA's original delegation report is dated 22 January 2007, making .tel older than the entire 2012 new-gTLD wave — it arrived with the early round that also produced extensions like .mobi-era mobile thinking.
Can I host a normal website on a .tel domain?
Not in the classic model. The extension was designed to hold contact data in the DNS itself, served as a registry-managed page rather than third-party hosting. Confirm the current platform's capabilities with WebJi® before buying .tel for a full website project.
What does a .tel domain cost over three years?
₹4,867 before 18% GST at current billing: ₹1,411 for year one plus two renewals at ₹1,728. Read that as a renewal-budget scenario; live totals appear at checkout and premium names quote separately.
Is .tel signed with DNSSEC?
Yes — the zone carries a secure delegation with a DS record at the root, fitting for an extension whose whole premise is DNS-stored data.
Last editorial update: 15 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
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