Telegram CEO Pavel Durov hints at Web3 integration

Pavel Durov talked about the benefits that exchangeable usernames and channel links could have in the future, creating a marketplace where users could use them in the same way that Ethereum name service addresses are used.

Telegram could receive Web3-related enhancements

Digital businesses are beginning to see the benefits that Web3, NFTs and user-driven digital marketplaces could bring to their operations. Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, one of the most popular crypto-currency-related messaging services, has hinted at integrating some Web3 services into the platform.

Pavel Durov reviewed the success of a domain name on an auction on the TON network where more than 2,000 domains were sold for prices up to $260,000. TON is the platform that Telegram abandoned in 2020 due to a restraining order sought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for allegedly selling unregistered securities.

Pavel Durov stated:

If TON was able to achieve these results, imagine how successful Telegram could be with its 700 million users if we auctioned off @ reserved usernames, group and channel links.

In the aforementioned auction, domains such as bank.ton and casino.ton were also sold at high prices.

Reuse of TON

The creation of a Web3 marketplace would allow users who currently own Telegram usernames to sell them to interested third parties and receive payments for this digital property in the same way that an NFT can be sold. This could also extend to group names, whose identities could be purchased by companies or interested third parties. Sticker packs and emojis could also be included in this proposed deal.

Pavel Durov explained that this initiative could be built on the TON network quickly, as the company already has knowledge of the system’s smart contract structure, given that it was originally designed by Telegram. About this possibility, Durov explained:

Regarding scalability and speed, TON probably has the best technology to host such decentralized sales, we are inclined to try TON as the underlying blockchain for our future marketplace.

While Pavel Durov didn’t give more details on the topic, he did mention that this update could be coming in the next few weeks. Telegram has already integrated TON into its platform, with users having the ability to send toncoins, the TON network currency, via chat since last May.