Tel
Tel may refer to: For other uses, see [[Tel (disambiguation)]].Businesses and Organizations
Tokyo Electron
Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) is a leading Japanese multinational corporation specializing in the development and manufacture of semiconductor production equipment. Founded on November 11, 1963, as Tokyo Electron Laboratories, Inc., in Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, with initial capital of ¥5 million as an affiliate of Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc., the company began by importing and selling diffusion furnaces and integrated circuit testers to support Japan's emerging electronics industry.[1] In 1978, it was renamed Tokyo Electron Limited, marking a shift toward broader global operations and in-house development of advanced manufacturing tools.[1] Headquartered at Akasaka Biz Tower in Minato-ku, Tokyo, TEL operates worldwide through subsidiaries and facilities in regions including North America, Europe, and Asia, employing approximately 20,000 people as of 2024.[2][3] TEL's core business focuses on wafer fabrication equipment essential for semiconductor manufacturing, encompassing processes such as etching, deposition, cleaning, coater/developer systems, and testing. Its product lineup includes innovative tools like the Etch Episode™ UL Series for precise plasma etching and the TELINDY™ Series for thermal processing, enabling high-yield production of advanced chips at nanoscale dimensions.[4] As a market leader in key segments—holding approximately 88% global share in coater/developer equipment and significant positions in etch and deposition tools—TEL supplies critical machinery that supports the fabrication of logic, memory, and power semiconductors.[5] For fiscal year 2024 (ended March 31, 2024), TEL reported net sales of ¥1.83 trillion, reflecting its dominant role in a global wafer fabrication equipment market valued at over $100 billion.[6] In FY2025, the company achieved record results amid AI-driven demand, with Q3 net sales reaching ¥654.5 billion as of December 2024.[7] The company's shares trade under the ticker 8035 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, where it ranks among Japan's top-valued firms.[8] In the semiconductor ecosystem, TEL serves as a vital supplier to major chipmakers, including TSMC and Intel, providing equipment that powers advancements in artificial intelligence, 5G communications, and high-performance computing. For instance, TEL received Intel's 2025 EPIC Supplier Award for excellence in technology collaboration and supply chain performance, and dual 2024 TSMC Excellent Performance Awards for production support and technology partnership, underscoring its contributions to cutting-edge node technologies like 3nm and beyond.[9][10] By prioritizing research and development—investing ¥203 billion in FY2024—TEL drives innovations in areas such as 3D integration and silicon carbide processing, helping customers achieve higher efficiency and lower costs in chip production.[6] This positions TEL as a peer to other electronics sector players like TE Connectivity, though it distinguishes itself through specialized focus on semiconductor tooling rather than broader connectivity solutions.[11]TE Connectivity
TE Connectivity Ltd., now known as TE Connectivity plc following its reincorporation in Ireland, traces its origins to the electronics division of Tyco International, which included the AMP Incorporated business acquired in 1999.[12] In 2007, this division was spun off as an independent publicly traded company named Tyco Electronics Ltd., marking its establishment as a focused provider of electronic components.[13] The company rebranded to TE Connectivity Ltd. in 2011 to better reflect its emphasis on connectivity solutions, and in September 2024, it completed a merger restructuring its domicile from Switzerland to Ireland.[14][15] Previously headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, it is now based in Galway, Ireland.[15] The company designs and manufactures a range of connectivity and sensor solutions, including connectors, sensors, relays, and circuit protection devices that enable the distribution of power, signals, and data.[15] These products are deployed across diverse sectors such as automotive, aerospace, defense, energy, medical, and data communications, supporting applications from vehicle electrification to industrial automation.[15] For instance, in the automotive industry, TE Connectivity provides components for advanced driver-assistance systems and electric powertrains, while in aerospace, they offer reliable interconnects for harsh environments.[15] As of fiscal year 2024, TE Connectivity employed approximately 87,000 people worldwide and generated net sales of $15.8 billion, with significant contributions from its transportation solutions segment.[15][16] It trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TEL.[15] TE Connectivity leads in innovations for high-speed data connectivity, particularly for data centers where its solutions support increasing bandwidth demands in AI and cloud computing infrastructures, and for electric vehicles through advanced battery management and charging systems.[15] These advancements, backed by over 15,000 patents, position the company as a key player in enabling sustainable and connected technologies across the electronics supply chain.[17]Geographical Locations
Tel (mound)
A tel, also spelled tell, is an archaeological term referring to an artificial mound formed by the accumulation of layered human settlements over millennia, primarily in the Levant region of the Middle East.[18] The word derives from the Arabic "tell" and Hebrew "tel," both meaning "mound" or "hill," reflecting their appearance as elevated, conical features in otherwise flat landscapes.[19] These mounds result from repeated cycles of construction, occupation, destruction, and rebuilding, often using mudbrick as the primary material, leading to stratified deposits of ruins, pottery shards, domestic debris, and other artifacts.[20] Typical tels rise to heights of up to 30 meters and cover areas from a few hectares to larger expanses, with their flattish tops preserving evidence of ancient urban layouts.[21] Over 500 tels have been identified across the Levant, spanning modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and parts of Turkey, representing continuous human occupation from the Neolithic period around 10,000 BCE through later eras.[22] Early examples include sites like Tell es-Sultan (ancient Jericho), which features Neolithic layers with monumental structures such as a stone tower and defensive walls, marking the transition to sedentary village life in the Fertile Crescent.[23] These mounds encapsulate the region's prehistoric and historic development, from early farming communities to complex urban societies, with many showing uninterrupted habitation into the Bronze and Iron Ages.[18] Tels hold particular significance in biblical archaeology, providing tangible evidence for narratives in the Hebrew Bible through their stratified remains that align with historical periods like the Bronze Age (c. 3000–1200 BCE) and Iron Age (c. 1200–586 BCE).[19] Excavation techniques emphasize stratigraphic analysis, where archaeologists peel back layers sequentially to date and interpret occupational phases using pottery typology, radiocarbon dating, and architectural features, revealing shifts in culture, economy, and politics.[24] Prominent examples include Tel Megiddo, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its elaborate water systems and fortifications linking to biblical accounts of battles and kings, and Tel Hazor, another UNESCO-listed mound with extensive Canaanite and Israelite remains that underscore the area's role in ancient trade and conflict.[18]Tel River
The Tel River originates in the plains of Koraput district, Odisha, approximately 32 km west of Jorigam village, and flows westward for about 296 km before joining the Mahanadi River near Sonepur in Subarnapur district, Odisha.[25] Its basin covers an area of approximately 22,818 square kilometers, spanning districts including Koraput, Kalahandi, Balangir, and Phulbani, and plays a vital role in the regional hydrology of the Mahanadi system. The river's basin supports extensive rain-fed agriculture, particularly irrigation for rice and pulses, contributing to the agrarian economies of Odisha and adjacent areas in Chhattisgarh.[26] As a seasonal waterway, it experiences significant monsoon flooding, with high turbidity levels (80.53–94.33 NTU) during peak flows, which aids in nutrient distribution but also leads to sediment deposition in downstream areas.[25] Ecologically, the Tel hosts diverse fish species, including the endangered mahseer (Tor putitora), with abundances recorded at 64.16 individuals per square kilometer, reflecting a relatively healthy aquatic ecosystem characterized by a Shannon-Weiner diversity index ranging from 2.33 to 3.705.[25] Historically, the Tel River valley served as an ancient trade route, facilitating gemstone exchanges between local settlements and broader networks during the Mauryan period, as evidenced by archaeological findings of traded artifacts.[27] Infrastructure developments include the Tel Dam, an earthen structure completed in 1978 near Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district, designed primarily for irrigation and water supply, with associated multipurpose projects enhancing hydropower generation in the basin.[28][29]Science and Technology
Tetraethyllead
Tetraethyllead (TEL), with the chemical formula Pb(C₂H₅)₄, is an organolead compound that served as a key antiknock additive in gasoline for much of the 20th century. It was first synthesized in 1921 by American chemist Thomas Midgley Jr. while working at General Motors, through the reaction of ethyl chloride with a sodium-lead alloy, yielding a colorless, viscous liquid.[30][31] This innovation addressed engine knocking in high-compression internal combustion engines, enabling smoother operation and greater efficiency. Commercial production began shortly after, with TEL first added to gasoline in 1923 under the trade name "Ethyl" by a partnership between General Motors and Standard Oil.[32][33] TEL's primary function was to boost the octane rating of gasoline, allowing compression ratios to exceed 7:1 and achieving ratings above 100 in aviation and automotive fuels, which significantly enhanced engine performance and fuel economy. By suppressing autoignition in the combustion chamber, it prevented pre-detonation that could damage pistons and valves. Global production peaked in the 1960s and early 1970s, reaching 279,000 metric tons of lead annually in the United States alone by 1970, with similar scales in Europe, fueling widespread adoption in vehicles worldwide.[34][35] However, its use came at a severe cost: TEL released lead particles into the atmosphere during combustion, contributing to widespread air pollution and exposing populations to toxic lead emissions.[33] Health and environmental concerns mounted rapidly after its introduction, with acute lead poisoning documented among factory workers as early as 1924, causing symptoms like nausea, hallucinations, and death from even small exposures. Chronic low-level exposure via vehicle exhaust led to broader public health crises, including neurological damage, reduced IQ in children, and cardiovascular issues, with blood lead levels correlating directly to gasoline lead content. Phase-out efforts began in the 1970s in response to these risks; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandated gradual reductions, culminating in a near-complete ban for on-road vehicles by 1996. Most countries followed suit through the 1980s and 1990s, and in 2021, the United Nations Environment Programme announced the global elimination of leaded gasoline for cars, with Algeria as the last holdout, preventing an estimated 1.2 million premature deaths annually.[36][37] The legacy of TEL includes its role in one of history's largest unintentional toxic exposures, with trillions of liters of leaded fuel burned over decades, leaving persistent soil and water contamination in urban areas. Modern alternatives for octane enhancement and oxygenates include ethanol, derived from renewable sources like corn, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), a synthetic ether that provides similar antiknock properties without lead's toxicity, though both have faced scrutiny for other environmental impacts like groundwater contamination in MTBE's case.[38][39].tel top-level domain
The .tel top-level domain is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) delegated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) under a registry agreement signed on May 30, 2006, with general availability to the public launched on March 24, 2009.[40][41] Sponsored by Telnic Limited, a UK-based organization founded in 2000, the domain was specifically designed to enable the storage and retrieval of contact information—such as phone numbers, email addresses, and physical locations—directly within the Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure, rather than relying on conventional web hosting.[42] This approach positions .tel as a lightweight alternative for individuals, businesses, and organizations seeking a centralized, globally accessible directory for communication details, aligning with early semantic web concepts by embedding structured data in DNS for automated discovery and use.[42] In terms of functionality, .tel domains eschew traditional website content, prohibiting the hosting of HTML pages or other non-contact data to maintain focus on its core purpose. Instead, users publish information using specialized DNS resource records: primarily NAPTR (Naming Authority Pointer) records to define service types, priorities, and replacement rules for contact resolution, and TXT (text) records to store the actual human- and machine-readable details like vCard-compatible data or URIs for VoIP, SMS, or social profiles.[43][42] This setup facilitates seamless integration with telephony protocols, such as ENUM for telephone number mapping, allowing devices and applications to query and act on the data without redirecting to external sites—for instance, enabling one-click calling or emailing from a mobile browser.[44] Adoption of .tel has been targeted primarily at businesses and professionals valuing mobile-friendly, privacy-controlled contact sharing, peaking at over 300,000 registrations in 2010 but has since declined to approximately 145,000 as of late 2025.[41][45] The domain emphasizes semantic principles by prioritizing discoverability over visual presentation, supporting use cases like quick lookups in CRM systems or directories without the overhead of full websites. Managed exclusively by Telnic Limited as the registry operator, .tel enforces strict policies to ensure data accuracy and prevent abuse, such as mandatory verification for contact entries.[40] Technically, .tel supports IPv6 addressing through its nameservers, ensuring compatibility with modern dual-stack networks and future-proofing access for IPv6-preferred environments.[46] It also integrates with dedicated mobile and desktop applications, such as those for iOS and Android, which allow users to query .tel domains, import contacts to address books, and initiate communications directly—enhancing usability for on-the-go scenarios without needing a web browser.[47][48]Telephone abbreviation
The abbreviation "tel" is a standard shorthand for "telephone," derived from the English word "telephone," which itself originates from the French téléphone (coined in 1835) combining the Greek roots tēle ("far") and phōnē ("sound").[49] This abbreviation has been widely adopted in written contexts since the early 20th century for denoting telephone numbers in directories, signage, and correspondence.[50] In practical applications, "tel" serves as an international notation for telephone contact details, commonly appearing on business cards, advertisements, and websites as "Tel: [number]" (e.g., "Tel: +1-555-0123").[50] It integrates with digital standards, such as the "tel:" URI scheme in HTML hyperlinks (e.g.,<a href="tel:+1234567890">Call [us](/page/United_States)</a>), which enables direct dialing from web browsers and was formalized in RFC 2806 (2000) and updated in RFC 3966 (2004) by the Internet Engineering Task Force. The scheme aligns with ITU-T recommendations and uses ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes to identify nations in international numbering, facilitating global interoperability. For instance, it appears in electronic directories and email signatures across over 200 countries.[51]
The use of "tel" predates the mobile phone era, emerging with the spread of landline telephony following Alexander Graham Bell's 1876 patent, but it has evolved to encompass modern services like Voice over IP (VoIP) and SMS messaging.[52] Today, it denotes access to a global network supporting approximately 840 million fixed telephone subscriptions and approximately 9.1 billion mobile subscriptions as of 2024, reflecting the shift toward wireless and internet-based communication.[53][54][55]
Related standards include ITU-T Recommendation E.123 (first published 1988, revised 2001), which specifies the notation for national and international telephone numbers, recommending "tel." or similar prefixes for clarity in printed and electronic formats, including spacing, plus signs, and country codes.[56] This ensures consistent representation, such as "+[country code] [national number]" (e.g., "+44 20 7946 0958"). The abbreviation also briefly references integrations like the .tel top-level domain for streamlined contact data storage.[57]