Author | Asher(@Asher_ 0210)
On May 4th, Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced on platform X that TON network transaction fees have been reduced by 6 times, nearing zero. More crucially, he stated that Telegram will replace the TON Foundation, becoming the new core driving force of the TON network and its largest validator. TON's focus will now shift to technological advantages, including a new ton.org, new developer tools, and performance upgrades, with a timeframe of the next 2 to 3 weeks.
Telegram Founder: TON Fees Reduced by 6x, Telegram to Become Largest Validator
In the past, the relationship between TON and Telegram was more like a strong binding with weak leadership. Telegram provided the gateway, while the Foundation and community were responsible for advancement, with a layer of distance always between them. But this time, Telegram isn't just continuing to bring users to TON; it's beginning to enter more foundational positions such as validator, technical roadmap, and development tools. TON is no longer just a chain adjacent to the Telegram ecosystem but is being reintegrated into Telegram's product system.
TON Doesn't Lack a Gateway; It Lacks Turning the Gateway into Use Cases
Past market discussions about TON often revolved around Telegram's user scale. But for a public chain, having a gateway doesn't equal having an ecosystem, and having user reach doesn't equal having long-term usage. TON's unique aspect is its inherent attachment to a high-frequency social platform, where Mini Apps, wallets, channels, bots, games, and payments already exist within Telegram. This allows TON to avoid having to find users from scratch like most Layer1s. However, if these scenarios cannot solidify into sustained on-chain interactions, Telegram's traffic can only bring waves of short-term hype.
Projects like Notcoin and Dogs have proven that Telegram can quickly generate viral spreads. Simple gameplay combined with social relationship chains can indeed attract a large number of users into crypto applications in a short time. But such explosions come and go quickly. TG mini-games and airdrops can bring attention but can hardly alone sustain a long-term ecosystem.
Therefore, the fee reduction, speed increase, developer tools, and validator role emphasized by Pavel Durov this time point not to a single technological upgrade, but to TON addressing its most critical missing link—transforming Telegram's gateway into sustainable use cases. Only when fees are low enough, confirmation speeds are fast enough, and developer integration is simple enough can scenarios like channel tipping, Mini Apps tasks, game rewards, creator revenue, ad revenue sharing, bot calls, and group micropayments potentially evolve from product features into on-chain activities.
TON no longer needs to repeat the story of "backed by Telegram." What it truly needs to prove is whether the high-frequency behaviors within Telegram can be effectively borne by TON.
Fee Reduction and Speed Increase Aim to Enable Smaller, Higher-Frequency Transactions
The fee reduction by TON this time shouldn't be understood merely as cost optimization typical of public chains. Viewed within the context of Telegram, it actually solves the problem of whether small-amount, high-frequency interactions can become viable.
Most potential on-chain behaviors within Telegram are not large transfers but more fragmented daily operations. Individual transaction amounts are low, but occurrence frequency is high. If users have to perceive fees, wait for confirmations, and repeatedly handle wallet interactions with every button click, these scenarios can hardly truly take off.
Therefore, fee reduction and speed increase must be considered together. Fees approaching zero lower the usage barrier; reducing finality time to 0.6 seconds lowers the perception of waiting. For Telegram, the chain shouldn't become an extra layer perceived by users but should be hidden as much as possible behind product actions like sending messages, clicking buttons, and viewing balance changes.
Comparison of "Finality Time" Among Mainstream Public Chains
This also distinguishes TON from many other Layer1s. Its goal isn't solely to make DeFi trades faster or transfers cheaper; it aims to embed the chain into Telegram's daily use. Only when cost, waiting time, and wallet operations are minimized enough can TON potentially evolve from a Telegram-related public chain into the underlying network directly invoked by Telegram's application layer.
From Gateway to Validator, Telegram Begins Penetrating TON's Core
Telegram becoming TON's largest validator is the most significant step in this change. It means Telegram is no longer just providing TON with a gateway and brand endorsement but is entering the network's security and operational mechanisms. Previously, TON was driven by the Foundation and community, which offered greater openness but a relatively decentralized pace. Now, with Telegram directly involved, its products, wallet, Mini Apps, payments, and developer tools have the opportunity to be realigned.
Efficiency may increase, but controversy will also grow. Telegram replacing the TON Foundation as the main driving force and becoming the largest validator will inevitably lead to renewed external discussions about TON's centralization risks. In response, Pavel Durov stated that Telegram's participation would attract more large-scale participants into the validator pool, thereby enhancing decentralization. This logic is not without merit, but the final judgment will depend on results, not statements.
The truly important aspects going forward are whether the validator structure can become more diverse, whether governance information is sufficiently transparent, whether the Foundation and community retain independent space, and whether ecosystem projects can continue developing without relying on Telegram's will.
Therefore, Telegram's return is not a simple positive but a trade-off. For TON to enter the mainstream application layer, it needs Telegram's strong execution capabilities; but the more prominent Telegram's role, the more TON needs to prove it is not merely an internal settlement chain serving Telegram.
High Staking Rewards Retain More Tokens for TON
Pavel Durov subsequently emphasized that TON ranks first in annual staking rewards among the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market cap, with a high rate of 18.8%. Compared to fee reduction and speed increase, high staking rewards are more likely to mobilize capital sentiment and provide TON with another layer of holding rationale in the market's eyes.
TON Annual Staking Rewards Rank First Among Top 50 Cryptocurrencies
This also makes TON's narrative somewhat more complete. It's not just relying on Telegram's user gateway to attract attention or improving experience through technical upgrades; it's also using staking rewards to keep capital within its ecosystem. The simultaneous presence of gateway, performance, validators, and rewards makes this change more substantial than a single positive factor.
Of course, high yield itself is not the end goal; it's more like buying TON a longer observation period. As long as subsequent developer tools and performance upgrades are delivered, and more capital is locked into the network, a positive feedback loop with real usage may form. For TON, the value of staking rewards isn't just about increasing holding returns but making the market willing to continue waiting for it to truly convert Telegram's gateway advantage.
TON's Return to Telegram Is Not the Finish Line, But a Tougher Challenge
The key for TON going forward is not to continue leveraging Telegram for traffic, but to truly become part of Telegram's application ecosystem. If Telegram's chat, payments, applications, creator economy, and automated interactions are gradually undertaken by TON, then TON's competitors will not just be other Layer1s, but all networks attempting to become the next-generation application infrastructure.
TON isn't just repeating the social traffic story; it's beginning to attempt to turn social traffic into on-chain order. The gateway is just the beginning; usage is the answer. Telegram can push TON to the forefront, but whether it stays there ultimately depends on whether TON can become the layer of infrastructure that operates behind user perception, within the functioning of applications.
If the past TON was still proving how close it is to Telegram, now it must prove how deeply integrated it can be within Telegram's daily use. True mainstream adoption isn't about making users aware they are using a chain, but about making the chain part of the application experience.
TON's opportunity lies here, and so does its pressure.
