Telegram Applies for .gram Top-Level Domain
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, announced that the company has applied for the ".gram" top-level domain; if approved by ICANN, approximately 1 billion Telegram users could register second-level domains in the format "yourname.gram".
Durov stated that the plan is still contingent on ICANN's approval, and Telegram has only submitted the application; ".gram" has not yet become a publicly registrable, tradable, or resolvable internet domain suffix.
Telegram envisions binding user identities, usernames, and domain names. Existing Telegram usernames may correspond to the same name as a ".gram" second-level domain in the future, allowing users to connect their chat accounts, public pages, and on-chain or application service entrances through a unified identifier.
Durov mentioned that users will be able to create interactive websites hosted on Telegram using "a prompt." The public announcement did not disclose the website building model, deployment architecture, domain allocation rules, storage and bandwidth costs, content review, or developer fee models.
The ".gram" application continues the branding associated with Telegram's previous explorations around TON, TON DNS, and human-readable on-chain addresses, but the ICANN domain system and blockchain naming system belong to different root domain governance, resolution, and registration systems; even if approved, how the two will be compatible has not been disclosed.
In terms of market mechanisms, potential buyers are Telegram users and developers looking to acquire brand domain names, personal identity pages, bot entrances, merchant sites, or community addresses; the supply side consists of registration, hosting, website building, identity, and content distribution capabilities provided by Telegram. If ".gram" is approved, scarce short domain names, well-known brand names, and high-traffic usernames will likely see initial demand for registration and secondary transfer; Telegram could establish new revenue streams from domain registration, renewal, hosting, advertising, payments, or commercial tools, while existing username holders may face disputes over identity ownership and domain priority.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
Telegram has long been expanding its chat application into identity, payments, bots, and open application layers. It launched the Telegram Open Network in 2019 and planned to issue the Gram token, but the project was terminated after an SEC lawsuit; since then, the open network has been driven by an independent community promoting TON development, while Telegram has gradually integrated TON wallets, Mini Apps, bots, and advertising revenue sharing into its products. The application for ".gram" signifies Telegram's renewed attempt to convert the social usernames of its billion-level users into registrable, resolvable, and commercializable internet identity resources.
The core of the capital path is transforming "free usernames" into quantifiable digital real estate. Existing Telegram usernames have accumulated community traffic, brand recognition, and search entry points, but the platform typically retains ultimate rule authority; by introducing second-level domains, Telegram could increase registration, renewal, hosting, website generation, payment, and commercialization service segments. Users are paying for more than just a string; they are gaining a unified entry point into chats, bots, Mini Apps, and web pages through Telegram's distribution network.
Historical analogies include X converting account names into brand and commercial distribution nodes, ENS transforming Ethereum addresses into readable names, and Shopify bundling domain names, stores, payment, and logistics tools. The difference is that ENS relies on on-chain ownership and wallet signatures, while ICANN domains depend on registries, registrars, dispute resolution mechanisms, and centralized root zone authorization. If Telegram simultaneously operates chat identities, on-chain entrances, and ICANN domains, it will control multiple layers of interfaces from user discovery to content hosting, payments, and transactions.
Essentially, this represents a transfer of pricing power. Usernames in social platforms were originally attention entry points granted by the platform, while the domain system endows these entries with attributes of scarcity, renewal, and transferability as assets. Telegram is attempting to bind user social relationships with traditional internet addresses, making it harder for brands, creators, and merchants to detach from its distribution network; however, the value of the domain ultimately depends on priority registration rules, search and redirect capabilities, website quality, and whether third-party browsers and payment systems truly accept ".gram" as a universal entry point.
ABAB News · Cognitive Laws
Usernames are traffic, domain names are charging rights
Once identity is transferable, platform entry will be financialized
The deeper the distribution control, the more commercialization interfaces there are