How Telegram Usernames Became Digital Real Estate: From Link to Asset

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Just a few years ago, a Telegram @username was just a casual username you created “for fun.” It looked fine, but had no real value, status, or control. Today, short and catchy names have evolved into full-fledged blockchain assets — able to be owned, transferred, traded, and invested in.

In this article, we explore how Telegram integrated Web 3.0 into everyday UX, why usernames are now sold alongside domains, and what this means for users, developers, and brands.

From Paper Planes to Digital Identity Market

Once, Pavel Durov threw paper airplanes with 5,000‑ruble bills out of his office window. That stunt became the seed for a messenger that now hosts its own digital identity market. Telegram isn’t just a chat app — it’s infrastructure where every element — from channels to WebApp buttons — can have a name. A name that you can buy, sell, transfer, or embed into your product.

Launching as a privacy-first platform, Telegram evolved over twelve years into a powerhouse: bots, channels, mini‑apps, and native crypto support.

Now, Durov’s greatest achievement is a massive ecosystem where you can launch a business, build a community, or ship a product. And at the heart of it all is the @username — your gateway to Web 3.0.

Telegram’s Unique Edge

Public and private channels and groups
Rich bot and WebApp integrations
Focused on anonymity and end-to-end encryption
Embedded TON‑blockchain support via Fragment

Telegram pioneered the first real market for user identities — complete with prices, auctions, second‑hand trading, and tokenization. While others chase ad revenue and ARPU, Telegram turned identities into assets.

Fragment: Birth of Decentralized Usernames

In October 2022, Telegram launched Fragment, an independent platform for buying and selling usernames. Now, usernames are NFTs on the TON blockchain, granting them true ownership:

Buyable and sellable via auction
Transferable between wallets without intermediaries
Usable across Telegram: personal, channel, bot, or mini‑app
Ownable as real digital assets secured on‑chain

Fragment offers the “first honest marketplace of user identities” — a transparent, fair auction system open to all.

What is Fragment and how does it work

Fragment is a non-custodial blockchain platform where you can buy and sell:

usernames for Telegram accounts, channels, and bots
anonymous phone numbers
Telegram Premium subscriptions

All transactions are carried out in Toncoin (TON), and ownership rights are recorded on the TON blockchain. Fragment is operated by a separate company, Fragment Corp, which is not legally affiliated with Telegram, but is functionally tightly integrated with it.

Fragment cannot revoke ownership rights to purchased usernames and has no access to users’ TON wallets. However, Telegram as a messenger reserves the right to block accounts or channels if they violate platform rules or the laws of particular countries.

But why buy a username at all?

It’s a fair question — after all, you can choose any name for free when you register. So let’s break it down. A username isn’t just an address. It’s a gateway to communication, a brand, an identity. It shows up in every chat, link, and search result. And when it’s short, catchy, and relevant, it becomes a tool of trust and marketing.

Telegram's infrastructure allows you to use the same username for:

a personal account
a channel or group
a bot
a WebApp inside Telegram (through mini-apps)

This makes your @name a universal identifier — like a domain, but built right into the messenger, where a massive share of daily communications already happen.

How much do Telegram usernames cost?

The market has made it clear: good names are expensive. A few examples:

@gleb — $17,000 (bought by the founder of PayQR)
@gromko — $1,000 (belongs to the head of UFC Russia)
@acura, @hyundai — acquired by resellers to flip to brands

Today, the floor price for 4-letter usernames is over 5,000 TON — and the best way to track those prices is through webdom, where you’ll find real-time analytics, top lists, and sale histories.

Usability: what can you do with an NFT-username?

A Telegram user who buys a name via Fragment gets:

an NFT written to their TON wallet
the ability to link that username to any of their Telegram properties: account, bot, or channel
the right to remove, transfer, or resell the name at any time on the secondary market

Important: Telegram does not own these names. All operations happen through Fragment and the TON blockchain. Telegram simply recognizes the user’s right to apply the NFT-name within its interface.

How buying/selling works:

A user lists a name for auction via fragment.com
Auctions last 7 days from the moment the first bid is placed
The winner receives an NFT and can immediately use the name in Telegram
Fragment charges a 5% fee

This is a fully on-chain process, with Telegram acting only as the interface layer — not a middleman.

Risks and limitations: Telegram does not offer legal guarantees for usernames. If you lose access to your wallet, the name is gone forever. You also cannot undo a completed transfer. Always use official interfaces: Fragment, TON wallets, and Telegram.

Why is this Web 3.0?

NFT-usernames in Telegram aren’t just a nice feature — they’re part of the Web 3.0 transition, where users gain true ownership, control, and the right to manage their digital assets. Unlike in Web 2.0, where everything sits on company servers, here — it lives in your wallet.

Telegram’s integration with TON makes usernames:

Decentralized (via NFT)
Tradable (on the secondary market)
Secure (protected by blockchain)
Functional (usable inside the app)

Telegram isn’t just a messenger — it’s a legitimate identity marketplace.

Usernames have long outgrown the role of basic links. They’re next-gen domains that let you:

build a brand inside Telegram
launch a mini-app
create trust for your product
invest in a rare asset

Telegram didn’t just launch a username market — it launched a whole new culture of digital names. And if you still think your @pashadurov66 is just a random name — maybe you haven’t yet realized what you truly own.