Teletok
 | |
| Type: | Government |
| Industry: | Telecommunications |
| Founded: | January 2001 |
| Headquarters: | Fakaofo |
| Country: | Tokelau |
| Website: | dot tk |
| Facebook: | dot tk |
| Key People | |
| Tino Vitale, General Manager | |
Teletok is the local telecommunication company of Tokelau also known as Telecommunication Tokelau Corporation. As it is a communication corporation for a small group of islands, the company is not that developed and has less than 10 phone lines.[1] It works for the promotion of technology and communications in Tokelau, and is the manager for Tokelau's ccTLD, .tk[2] Teletok uses solar energy to fulfill its electricity needs while the rest of the island uses imported petroleum.[3] They have been involved in setting up Internet and computer resource centers, training local technicians, and funding ICT projects.[4]
Teletok is a member of the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA),[5] they are also involved with APNIC.[6]
Dot TK[edit | edit source]
The Creation of a Free, Open ccTLD[edit | edit source]
In 2001, a Dutch entrepreneur, Joost Zuurbier, proposed the idea of establishing the Tokelauan .tk domain, and to set up a unique model where registration would be provided for free. The idea is somewhat analogous to the free email services provided by large ICT companies, such as MSN and Google. Tokelau was an ideal country for the project of creating the world's first open, and free ccTLD as it had no existing IT infrastructure. After finalizing the deal with local people, Zuurbier went on to convince ICANN, which took about 5 more years. ICANN insisted on meeting the local elders to ensure they were not being misled or acting as a front for the abuse of a ccTLD rights by a foreign entity. For a time, ICANN insisted that the servers and necessary infrastructure be placed on the island, but they were eventually swayed to allow off-shore servers when they learned more about the extremely sparse resources available on the island. Once ICANN approved the project, Teletok was formed to manage Tokelau's newly established IT infrastructure.[7] Teletok started a joint venture with a private company, BV Dot TK, to establish the ccTLD, .tk. Registration of .tk domain names has been provided free of charge since then to increase global awareness of Tokelau. However, you can choose to pay to get full rights over the domain and support the government of Tokelau.[8] To stop the illegal and pornographic activities on .tk domains, Teletok has developed a system that detects and blocks such material.[9]
Tokelau has benefited substantially from the establishment of its own domain, as the revenue of island has been increased considerably. Besides this, Tokelau is now much more accessible to the rest of the world. The Government of Tokelau is trying to find more renewable energy sources to ensure reliable power supply across the island. They have been using the funds raised by .tk to reinvest in their ICT infrastructure, opening Internet cafes, installing high-speed Internet access.[10]