Telegram Open Network
Historical blockchain project from the Telegram team (2018-2020). Halted after an SEC lawsuit froze the Gram token. Today's TON inherits the codebase but is legally independent of Telegram.
Aliases: original ton, gram, telegram ton, historical ton
Telegram Open Network is the original blockchain project launched by the Telegram team under the Durov brothers in 2018. It was halted in 2020 after a regulatory dispute with the SEC. The current TON network (The Open Network) is built on the inherited codebase, but legally and operationally it is a different project.
Timeline
- 2018, January-March. Telegram raises 1.7 billion USD through a private placement of the Gram token in SAFT format. Investors include large venture funds, private investors, and billion-dollar funds.
- 2018-2019. The team builds out the architecture: TVM, shardchains, masterchain, BFT consensus, FunC. The whitepaper is published. A testnet goes live.
- 2019, October. The US SEC files suit, accusing Telegram of an unregistered securities offering. In the regulator’s view, Gram is a security under the Howey test. Telegram contests the position, but the court blocks token distribution.
- 2020, May. Telegram officially exits the project and pledges to return most of the funds to investors. The source code is left open.
- 2020-2021. A group of developers and validators from the community picks up the network and continues it under the name The Open Network (TON). Mainnet launches with the native Toncoin.
How it differs from today’s TON
| Telegram Open Network (historical) | TON (current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Telegram (Durov brothers and engineers) | TON Foundation and community |
| Legal status | Corporate Telegram project | Independent non-profit structure |
| Token | Gram (never publicly launched) | Toncoin |
| Years | 2018-2020 | from 2020 |
| Reason for halt | SEC lawsuit, frozen distribution | — |
The codebase and architectural principles are the same: TVM, BoC, sharding, BFT. Technically, today’s TON is a direct descendant of the original project. Legally it is not: Telegram does not run the network, does not own the TON Foundation treasury, and formally bears no responsibility for its operation.
Why this matters
Confusion between “TON from Telegram” and “today’s TON” is common. Former Gram investors sometimes assume they have rights to Toncoin — they do not: Telegram returned funds under the SEC settlement, and Toncoin was distributed within the new network under different rules.
From a regulatory standpoint, the SEC dealt specifically with the historical Gram. Today’s Toncoin is a different token issued by a different entity; the SEC has not formed a separate position on it, and the 2020 precedent does not transfer automatically.
What remains
- The FunC, TVM, and BoC codebase — heritage of the Telegram team, still being developed.
- The whitepaper — most architectural decisions are described there.
- The “TON” brand. Telegram Open Network became The Open Network — formally a different name, the same abbreviation.
The modern TON ecosystem — Toncoin, wallets, DEXes, mini-apps — was built after 2020 and is the product of community development and the work of the TON Foundation.