In 2022, Telegram, one of the world’s largest messaging apps, gave users the ability to purchase tokenized usernames for the messaging app using a blockchain-based platform called Fragment. The platform allows interested parties to purchase available usernames and secure ownership of them on The Open Network (or TON), a blockchain originally developed by Telegram.
The platform allows Telegram users to potentially monetize their presence on the platform by selling their individual usernames (@bob or @alice) in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), similar to how domain names used for websites are traded.
In addition to the username, you can also get a virtual phone number (in token format), which can be used as a privacy-friendly alternative to the traditional phone number to verify new Telegram user registrations.
Transactions performed in a Fragment are driven by: ton
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Blockchain ensures that ownership of these digital assets is recorded securely and transparently.
How to buy a username in Fragment
Any default username associated with a Telegram account, including usernames associated with profiles, public groups or channels, may be sold on Fragment.
Toncoin, the native token of the TON network, is required to purchase usernames on Fragment, with the amount required varying depending on the current highest bid.
To transact with Toncoin, users must create a wallet like TonKeeper, which stores funds and assets and facilitates interactions with other users and apps on the TON blockchain.
Some items have fixed prices and can be purchased directly. Other items are auctioned, requiring users to meet a minimum bid and potentially outbid other items. Users can bid on any available auction item from the featured list on the Fragment homepage or from the search bar at the top.
Usernames marked as “In Use” are in use and cannot be sold, but you can offer a fee to notify the owner that you are interested in purchasing the username. To do this, find the username in Fragment, access its page, and select “Make an Offer”.
If the bid wins, Toncoin will be deducted from your wallet. If the user wins the auction or completes the purchase, it can be viewed in Fragment’s “My Assets”. If the auction ends successfully, the default username will be converted into an NFT and linked to a specific account. It can also be transferred to another wallet.
For collectibles, a 5% platform fee is charged for each transaction (direct sales and highest bid at the end of an auction).
Since the platform first launched, Fragment has already facilitated over $350 million in custom username sales. Certain individual Telegram usernames have made a lot of money on Fragment. For example, the username @news sold for around $1.7 million in November 2022, the highest sale on the platform to date.
Anonymous virtual number
In late 2022, Telegram officially launched a limited edition virtual phone number called Anonymous Number as a collectible on the TON blockchain. This number allows users to register without a SIM card and receive login codes via Fragment instead of SMS.
Telegram requires users to register and log in using their phone number, a process that can easily lead to a privacy leak. As an alternative, Fragment facilitates the purchase of a phone number that can be used to verify your Telegram membership without revealing any personal information.
In other words, these anonymous numbers can be used to create Telegram accounts that are not tied to a SIM card. So privacy-conscious users may no longer need to apply for a traditional mobile phone number to register and use the app. There are currently 136,500 numbers in circulation.
Direct sales of anonymous numbers ended in 2022, and these numbers can now only be obtained by purchasing them from other users of Fragment.
Disclaimer: This article was created with the help of OpenAI’s ChatGPT 3.5/4 and has been reviewed and edited by our editorial team.
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