The Story of TON: From Launch to Present

The story of The Open Network Ecosystem

2018

Under the leadership of Pavel and Nikolai Durov, Telegram began exploring blockchain solutions to support its massive user base. Unable to find a suitable technology, they decided to create their own first-layer blockchain called Telegram Open Network (TON). During one of the largest ICOs in history, Telegram raised $1.7 billion through a private sale of TON (Gram) tokens

2019

Telegram released a detailed design of the TON blockchain and launched the first test network in the spring. The second test network was launched in November. However, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Telegram, accusing them of an unregistered securities offering. Telegram postponed the launch of TON until the legal issues were resolved.

2020

After a prolonged battle with US regulators, Telegram decided to cease development of TON and paid $18.5 million in compensation to investors. However, a group of developers, known as NewTON, decided to continue the project, resuming development based on the original TON documentation.

2021

The community renamed the stable test network to Mainnet, and NewTON rebranded to TON Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting network development.

• TON-ETH and TON-BSC Bridges

The TON bridges allow tokens to be transferred between the TON, Ethereum, and Binance Smart Chain blockchains. Users send tokens to a smart contract, which locks them on the source blockchain and creates equivalent tokens on the target blockchain. This process simplifies cross-chain transactions, increasing liquidity and expanding token usability.

• Integration with Major Exchanges and @donate Bot

During this time, TON was listed on major exchanges. The @donate bot integrated TON, enabling donations and payments for private Telegram channels through Toncoin. Regular payments are seamlessly deducted from the Tonkeeper wallet, similar to Apple Pay or credit cards. The decentralized system allows direct payments to creators without intermediaries, and smart contracts ensure automatic deduction of amounts. Users can manage and cancel subscriptions in Tonkeeper at any time.

2022

In the spring of 2022, the NFT marketplace Getgems was launched, followed by TON Diamonds with its namesake collection. These platforms attracted attention from renowned artists like Ellen Sheidlin and Pokras Lampas. That year saw a boom in NFT projects on TON, including Cat Metaverse, Dog Metaverse, and Meta Panthers, drawing a growing audience and making the blockchain increasingly popular.

Innovations in 2022

• TON Nominators: Users delegate their Toncoin to validators to support the blockchain and receive a share of the income. Assets are managed by smart contracts for automatic distribution and protection.
• TON DeFi: TON uses separate smart contracts for each user and asset, ensuring scalability and low transaction costs. New standards and smart contract examples help drive mass adoption of decentralized technologies.
• TON Developers Program: Updated developer tools like MyLocalTON and toncli. Simplified rules for publishing applications on ton.app. Conducted developer competitions.
• TON DNS: A decentralized domain name system for crypto wallets, smart contracts, and websites in the TON network. Domain management through auctions and network voting.
• TON Payments: Technology for instant off-chain micropayments without network fees, ensuring reliable transfers for internet data, streaming, gaming, and DeFi.
• TON Proxy: Anonymous and secure internet access via the decentralized TON network. Protects data and bypasses censorship.
• TON Sites: Mandatory encryption and automatic data verification, eliminating the need for certification authorities and centralized domain registries. Built-in cryptography and the decentralized TON DNS system.
• TON Storage: Decentralized data storage system on the TON blockchain. Data is stored on multiple nodes, encrypted, and accessible only to the owner. Storage fees in Toncoin, with integration with other TON services.
• Pavel Durov announced plans for user name auctions on Telegram. In the fall, auctions began, marking the first integration of TON into the messenger. In December, the Fragment platform enabled the purchase of virtual anonymous Telegram numbers for TON, allowing registration without a SIM card. The prices for these numbers continue to rise.

2023

• Token Bridge: Allows token transfers between Ethereum and TON blockchains, including USDT, USDC, DAI, and WBTC. Regular updates add new features and improve the interface.
• TON Connect: Easy and secure connection to services and applications in the TON network. Protects user data and integrates with wallets for access to DeFi, games, and social networks.
• TON 2023.06 Update: Introduced the burning of 50% of network fees to reduce the circulating Toncoin supply. Created the "Black Hole" mechanism for token destruction.
• Locker Smart Contract: Created for locking coins with rewards and vesting wallets.
• Encrypted Messaging: The TON wallet now functions as an encrypted messenger, allowing messages to be sent through the blockchain.
• Liquidity Campaign: TVL in the network grew by 2200%, with over $20 million passing through the bridge. Updated decentralized exchanges like DeDust 2.0, FLEX, and STON.fi.
• Liquid Staking: Developed new smart contracts for liquid staking, available for testing. The source code will be open after testing.
• Trust Wallet Integration: TON is now supported by Trust Wallet, Changelly, Onramp, Mooli, CoinStats, and Chainalysis. BIT.com collaboration began, and MEXC waived fees for Toncoin transactions.
• TVM Update: Released with new cryptography and arithmetic. Held a contest for the best use of new features.
• Telegram WebApp API: Opens integration opportunities with TON. The Telegram Web Applications Contest offers a $60,000 prize pool.
• Developer Tools: Updated ton.js library, Blueprint environment, and IntelliJ IDEA plugin.
• TON Play: Released Unity SDK and payment management system for games, and held an offline developer meetup.
• Developer Competitions: Five competitions with a total prize pool of over $200,000. Launched Hack-a-TON with a $150,000 prize pool. The TON Accelerator program will allocate up to $25 million for projects in 2023.
• TON Space: Integrated into Telegram, allowing users to manage cryptocurrencies and NFTs directly in the app. Available to 800 million users from November. The @wallet update includes a new interface and the launch of Wallet Pay for easy cryptocurrency payments via Telegram.
• tApps Center: Launched a new catalog of applications, games, and bots for Telegram, simplifying their search and support for developers.
• TON Connect Support: All popular TON wallets now support TON Connect, integrated into all ton.org services and most network products. Updated UI and published new SDKs.
• Updated TON Bridge: Supports WalletConnect and TON Connect for asset transfers between Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, and TON.
• TPS World Record: TON processed 104,715 transactions per second. In December, TON processed over 80 million transactions in 15 days. Released a new version of the Tact programming language.
• Developer Competitions: Liquidation Hackathon and TON Smart Challenge. Launched TON Bootcamp for Telegram Mini Apps developers. Kucoin Ventures announced a partnership with TON Foundation to provide grants.
• TON Society: A new on-chain social network for developing regional TON communities. Introduced user profiles and distributed SBT rewards for all prior activities. TON Society Europe launched 17 new projects and participated in key crypto events. In Asia, TON Society held successful events, attracting new developers and participants.
• The creation of DYOR.IO as it exists today (previously known as Find & Check). Dyor.io is a top analytical platform on the TON blockchain. Here, you get more than just data - you gain access to powerful tools for blockchain analysis and operations. The platform's token, Dyor coin, is more than just a currency; it’s your key to unlocking all the cool features the platform has to offer.

2024: New Horizons

• The Open League: Launched in 2024, unites developers and users of the ecosystem. Supports and develops the TON community by creating a platform for knowledge and experience exchange. Helps developers launch projects, conducts workshops and master classes, and stimulates innovations. Regular events, conferences, and meetups allow participants to share ideas and experiences. Educational programs help newcomers quickly integrate and start working with TON. Since its launch, The Open League has held successful events, attracted new participants, and created conditions for community growth and development. Plans include more educational programs, events, and attracting new developers and users.
• Commission Reductions: Network fees reduced by 2.5 times thanks to validator voting. First use of the fee reduction mechanism in the TON mainnet. Approved a smart contract to further reduce fees for USDt.
• Advertising Revenue Sharing: Launched a program for distributing advertising revenue with payments in TON. Introduced optional monetization of large public chats and a tipping model for content creators with payments in TON. Users can purchase digital goods and services with TON withdrawals. Telegram plans to tokenize stickers and emojis.
• USDT Integration: Tether launched USDt on the TON blockchain, noting its scalability and low fees. This makes transactions via Telegram more convenient and efficient, promoting Toncoin, the platform's primary cryptocurrency.

Marketing Marketers deployed a massive advertising campaign, crucial for TON's current success. Advertising was everywhere: not only in Telegram but also on top platforms and social networks like Yandex, VKontakte, Avito, YouTube, and more. This powerful campaign reached a vast audience, attracting new users and developers to TON. Given the scale of advertising, the budget likely reached millions of dollars. TON developers emphasize that their advertising is honest and neutral, focusing solely on project news and new service launches, without urging to buy or promising growth. This approach builds user trust and strengthens the project's reputation. The marketing campaign was a huge success: more users, more network activity, and significant interest in the project. Strong advertising and a smart strategy made TON one of the most talked-about cryptocurrencies.