Telegram applies for a.gram domain name and provides users with a personal website

Telegram applies for a.gram top-level domain name

Telegram has submitted an application for a.gram top-level domain name to ICANN. If the application is approved, more than a billion Telegram users will be able to sign up for addresses similar to yourname.gram and create websites hosted by Telegram.

Highlights

Telegram has applied to ICANN to operate the.gram domain name area. If the application is approved, more than a billion users will be able to obtain second-level domain names such as yourname.gram. Telegram founder Durov said that users can create interactive websites hosted by Telegram with just one command. Before launching the.gram domain name service, formal approval from ICANN must be obtained.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov posted on the X platform that the company has submitted an application for the.gram domain name area and plans to allow users to use second-level domain names. According to Telegram's official press release, the platform will exceed the one billion monthly active users mark in 2025. "Telegram has applied for the.gram domain name zone," Durov wrote. He added that once approved, 1 billion users will have their own second-level domain names. The proposal also connects the domain name system with website creation capabilities within Telegram. Durov said users could create interactive websites hosted by Telegram "with a single order," but he did not disclose the technical details, pricing, domain name allocation rules of the planned hosting system, nor did he say when registration would start. The application still needs to go through ICANN's evaluation process, so Telegram does not submit the application, and.gram can be launched immediately.

Telegram's.gram domain name will run as a regular Internet address

Telegram's application is submitted through ICANN's 2026 New generic top-level domain name program, which allows organizations to apply to operate new domain name extensions. ICANN opened its latest application window on April 30 and closed on August 12. Successful applicants will gain control of the top-level domain name registry, but must meet ICANN's evaluation requirements and sign the registry agreement before the domain name can be delegated to the Internet's domain name system. Under the proposed structure described by Durov,.gram would serve as a top-level domain and Telegram users could register a second-level name in front of it. For example, an address like alice.gram places alice in a secondary position. ICANN distinguishes new top-level domain applications from ordinary domain registrations. Agencies applying for new extensions are applying to operate the registry infrastructure that supports part of the domain name system, and individual users usually register their names under existing top-level domains through registrars. Durov has not said whether Telegram intends to act directly as the registry operator, nor which registry service provider will support.gram, or how domain ownership will be associated with existing Telegram usernames. The founder also did not specify whether the.gram domain name would be sold, distributed to users for free, auctioned, or bound to existing user names. He said only in his post that if ICANN approves the application, Telegram users "will be able to obtain their own second-level domain name."

One-click website building will add new features to Telegram

Website hosting is the second part of Telegram's proposed.gram system. According to Durov, users can set up interactive websites hosted by Telegram with just one command. He did not specify the technology used to generate the website, nor did he say whether the command-based system would use tools developed by Telegram or a third-party service. Telegram already allows developers to build Mini programs that run within instant messaging software and use Telegram accounts for authentication. Its developer documentation states that the Mini programs platform is available to more than one billion Telegram users. Combining.gram domain names with hosted websites allows these services to have an Internet address independent of ordinary Telegram usernames and robot structures, depending on how the company implements the system. Telegram has been adding web and application capabilities around its instant messaging service for years. In August last year, it was reported that Telegram launched a browser and Mini programs store, allowing users to access the TON site through the platform's built-in browser, while placing Mini programs in a dedicated discovery section. At the time, Telegram said hundreds of millions of users interact with Mini programs every month. Products such as Notcoin and Hamster Kombat help bring blockchain-based games and services directly into instant messaging software, without users having to install a separate application. Based on details disclosed by Durov, the.gram proposal would use the regular Internet domain name infrastructure overseen by ICANN. He did not describe.gram as a blockchain naming service, nor did he say ownership would be recorded on The Open Network.

Gram name returns with Telegram's TON strategy

Telegram's choice of.gram also follows this year's return of the Gram name in The Open Network ecosystem. On June 15, Toncoin changed its name to Gram after a community vote was approved with 81.22%. As reported in June, the name change changed the name, code and identification of the token, while the balance, wallet address, pledged position and underlying network remained unchanged. The blockchain itself retains the name of The Open Network, while its native token is changed from TON code to GRAM. Gram was originally Telegram's name for its cryptocurrency project when it developed Telegram Open Network. The project was halted after a dispute with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over Telegram's token sale, which Telegram pulled out of the blockchain in 2020. Independent developers continued to develop the open source network under the name The Open Network, with Toncoin becoming its native asset. Telegram will be closely linked to the network again in 2026. On May 4, Durov said Telegram would replace the TON Foundation as the main force guiding the network and become its largest validator. A June report detailed the move, which follows a Catchain 2.0 upgrade and transaction fee cuts. Telegram's roadmap also includes new developer tools, TON Pay 2.0 for payments, and a Bitcoin bridge called TON Teleport. Changes in the network are accompanied by violent reactions from the market. Toncoin rose from about $1.30 around Durov's May announcement to above $2 in the following week, while pledge inflows and short liquidations also increased as traders reacted to Telegram's direct involvement. Telegram then supported the return of Gram's name in June, reconnecting native tokens with terms used during the company's original blockchain project.

ICANN approval remains the next requirement for.gram

Telegram still needs to have.gram apply through ICANN's new gTLD program before the domain can be used. The 2026 application process requires applicants to go through a series of reviews covering technical operations, proposed domain name strings, and other program requirements. Successful applicants must also sign a registry agreement with ICANN before their top-level domain can be assigned. ICANN states that each applicant must use a registered service provider that has passed its technical assessment process. These providers handle the core registration functions required to operate generic top-level domains. Telegram has not disclosed the status of its.gram application during the evaluation process, nor has it identified the registered service provider associated with the application. Durov also did not give a launch date for the registration of the.gram secondary domain name, only saying that if ICANN approves Telegram's application, the domain name and the website created through the order will become possible.