Following the recent trend of seeking permission to offer one and two character domain names, Telnic has formally requested permission from ICANN to offer one and two character .tel domain names.
In the request, the Registry stated that they would not offer two letter domain names that correspond to an existing country code, nor will they release one and two digit domain names.
Other Registries to seek permission to offer one and two character domain names in recent months include Affilias (.info), Tralliance (.travel), and Neurstar (.biz).
According to Telnic, they want those parties interested in purchasing a particular one or two character .tel domain name to respond to a request for proposal in order to obtain the domain. After this requesting period, the domains will be available for a premium price. Any domains not purchased during that phase will be available at regular prices.
While it’s not clear what Telnic will use as criteria for awarding the domains, speculation says that it will award them to larger companies that will create more brand awareness for the .tel extension.