Telegram applies for the ".gram" domain; if approved, it will give users their own dedicated domain

Telegram has applied to ICANN for the .gram top-level domain, founder Pavel Durov said in an X post on August 19, 2026, according to crypto_news_dot. If approved, the application could let more than one billion Telegram users register second-level addresses such as yourname.gram and build Telegram-hosted websites. Durov said users could create interactive sites hosted by Telegram 'with one prompt,' but he gave no technical details on hosting, pricing, domain allocation rules or when registrations might begin. The filing came through ICANN's 2026 New Generic Top-Level Domain Program, whose application window opened April 30 and closed August 12. Approval remains subject to ICANN's evaluation process, so .gram cannot launch merely because Telegram applied.

Background

The source describes Telegram as a messaging service that passed one billion monthly active users in 2025, according to the company's official press information. Over several years it has added web and application functions around messaging. In August 2024, crypto.news reported on Telegram's browser and Mini App store, which let users access TON Sites through the in-app browser and brought Mini Apps into a dedicated discovery section; Telegram said at the time that hundreds of millions of users interacted with Mini Apps every month. Products including Notcoin and Hamster Kombat helped bring blockchain-based games and services directly into the messenger. Telegram's developer documentation describes the Mini App platform as available to more than one billion Telegram users, and developers can build Mini Apps that run inside the messenger and use Telegram accounts for authentication. The source also explains the ICANN framework: a new generic top-level domain application is a request to operate registry infrastructure supporting part of the Domain Name System, distinct from an ordinary domain registration, which users normally make beneath an existing top-level domain through registrars. A successful application gives an operator control of a top-level domain registry, subject to ICANN's evaluation requirements and a registry agreement before the domain can be delegated into the DNS.

What happened

According to crypto_news_dot, Telegram submitted an application to ICANN for the .gram top-level domain. Pavel Durov, Telegram's founder, announced the filing in an X post, writing: 'Telegram has applied for the .gram domain zone,' and adding that approval could give a billion users access to their own second-level domains. The source says the proposal would also connect the domain system with website creation inside Telegram, and that Durov said users would be able to create interactive websites hosted by Telegram 'with one prompt.' The source states that Durov did not provide technical details about the planned hosting system, pricing, domain allocation rules or when registrations could begin. It adds that he did not say whether Telegram intends to act directly as the registry operator, which registry service provider would support .gram, or how domain ownership would interact with existing Telegram usernames. The source also says Durov did not specify whether .gram domains would be sold, distributed free to users, auctioned or tied to existing usernames; his post only said Telegram users 'could get their own second-level domains' if ICANN approves. The filing came through ICANN's 2026 New Generic Top-Level Domain Program, the source says, with the application window opening April 30 and closing August 12. Under the structure Durov described, .gram would be the top-level domain and a user could register a second-level name before it, such as alice.gram. The source notes that approval is subject to ICANN's evaluation process and a registry agreement before delegation into the DNS.

Market impact

The source contains no token prices, trading volumes, fund flows or market capitalisation figures tied to the .gram application, so no market reaction can be quantified from it. The only numbers present are user and process figures: Telegram passed one billion monthly active users in 2025, according to the company's official press information; Durov's post referred to a billion users gaining access to second-level domains; Telegram's developer documentation describes the Mini App platform as available to more than one billion Telegram users; and in August 2024 Telegram said hundreds of millions of users interacted with Mini Apps every month. The source also gives the ICANN timeline: the 2026 New Generic Top-Level Domain Program application window opened April 30 and closed August 12. It mentions no fees, auction proceeds, domain prices or revenue projections, and it does not report any effect on TON or other assets. Because Durov did not specify whether domains would be sold, given away, auctioned or tied to usernames, the source offers no basis for estimating the economic size of a .gram registry. Any financial impact therefore remains undetermined in the provided material.

Why it matters

The source supports several consequences. First, a .gram domain paired with hosted websites could give Telegram Mini Apps and services an internet address outside the normal Telegram username and bot structure, depending on how the company implements the system. That would extend Telegram's existing web functions, which already include an in-app browser, a Mini App store and TON Sites access reported in August 2024. Second, the proposal would connect the domain system with website creation inside Telegram, with Durov saying users could create interactive websites hosted by Telegram 'with one prompt,' though the source notes he did not identify the technology or whether it would use Telegram-developed tools or third-party services. Third, the application tests ICANN's process: approval remains subject to evaluation and a registry agreement before .gram can be delegated into the DNS, so the outcome is not automatic. Fourth, the source flags unresolved design questions that matter for users and developers, including registry operation, the registry service provider, pricing, allocation rules and how domain ownership would interact with existing Telegram usernames. The source does not establish any blockchain or token linkage for .gram.