Telegram has officially filed an application with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to operate the .gram top-level domain, a move that could eventually give its more than one billion users personal web addresses such as yourname.gram and AI-generated websites hosted inside the platform. Founder Pavel Durov confirmed the filing in a post on X, writing: “Telegram has applied for the .gram domain zone. If the application is approved by ICANN, a billion Telegram users could get their own second-level domains.”
The application was submitted under ICANN’s 2026 New Generic Top-Level Domain Program, whose latest window opened on April 30 and closed on Aug. 12. According to the second source, the round attracted more than 1,600 primary applications and another 1,100 backup string requests. Publication of approved strings is expected in mid-October, but evaluation, dispute resolution and contract formalization could push any functional .gram launch into 2027 or later. ICANN approval is not automatic: Telegram would still need to pass technical and string reviews and sign a registry agreement before the domain could be delegated into the Domain Name System.
Under the proposed structure, .gram would act as the top-level domain, while users would register second-level names before it—for example, alice.gram. Durov said users would be able to set up interactive websites hosted by Telegram “with one prompt,” although the company has not disclosed pricing, allocation rules, the registry service provider, or how .gram ownership would interact with existing Telegram usernames. Telegram already operates a Mini App ecosystem used by hundreds of millions of users monthly, and the company has been expanding web and blockchain-related functions, including an in-app browser and Mini App store launched in August 2024.
The .gram filing also follows a significant rebrand within The Open Network. On June 15, the native token formerly known as Toncoin was renamed Gram after a community vote passed with 81.22% support. The token’s ticker changed from TON to GRAM while balances, wallet addresses, staking positions and the underlying network remained unchanged. The name Gram originally belonged to Telegram’s planned cryptocurrency before the company halted the Telegram Open Network project in 2020 following a dispute with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In May 2026, Durov said Telegram would replace the TON Foundation as the main force directing the network and become its largest validator, and the project has also announced plans including TON Pay 2.0 and a Bitcoin bridge called TON Teleport.
Market reaction remains cautious. GRAM is trading near $1.32, down roughly 35% over the past 90 days and about 84% below its all-time high of $8.25 recorded in June 2024, with a market capitalization of approximately $3.65 billion. The Telegram ecosystem continues to expand with a planned native non-custodial wallet and active validator infrastructure, but the immediate obstacle for .gram is not adoption—it is securing ICANN approval in the first place.
