2 weeks ago
Telegram Applies for .gram Domain in ICANN’s 2026 Round
Telegram wants to create a new internet ending called .gram.
Its founder, Pavel Durov, said the plan could give users web addresses based on their Telegram usernames.
For example, @durov might become durov.gram.
Telegram also says users could make interactive personal websites with one prompt.
The proposal was submitted during ICANN’s 2026 application round for new internet domains.
More than 1,600 applications were submitted in that round.
ICANN has not yet approved Telegram’s application.
Even if approved, Telegram would control the .gram domain, so users might not be able to sell or move their addresses elsewhere.
Telegram has applied for the .gram top-level domain in ICANN’s 2026 new-domain round.
Founder Pavel Durov said users could receive addresses such as yourname.gram if approved.
Telegram usernames, including @durov, could potentially become matching .gram web addresses.
Telegram says users could create interactive websites through a single prompt without technical skills.
Approval is not guaranteed, and addresses would remain Telegram-managed subdomains rather than transferable properties.
- Who
- Telegram and its founder and CEO Pavel Durov.
- What
- Telegram applied for the .gram generic top-level domain and proposed username-based web addresses and hosted websites.
- Where
- The proposed addresses would operate on the internet under the .gram domain.
- When
- The application was submitted during ICANN’s 2026 round, which closed on August 12; the applicant list is expected around late October 2026.
- Why
- Telegram says the domain could give its users dedicated web addresses and an easier way to create interactive websites.
Telegram’s Proposed Benefits
Limitations and Uncertainties
User web addresses
Telegram’s Proposed Benefits
Telegram says users could receive second-level addresses such as yourname.gram, linked to their existing usernames.
Limitations and Uncertainties
Industry observers say these addresses would be Telegram-managed subdomains, not independently owned properties that users could transfer or sell.
Approval and launch
Telegram’s Proposed Benefits
If ICANN approves the application, Telegram could eventually open .gram registrations and host user websites.
Limitations and Uncertainties
The application must pass ICANN’s evaluation process, and there is no guarantee that .gram will be approved, delegated, or launched on a known timetable.
Key facts
- Proposed domain
- .gram
- Applicant
- Telegram
- Announced by
- Pavel Durov, Telegram founder and CEO
- Application program
- ICANN New Generic Top-Level Domain Program’s 2026 round
- Applications in round
- More than 1,600 primary applications
- Application fee
- $227,000 per domain string
- Expected applicant disclosure
- No later than nine weeks after the August 12 closing date, around late October 2026
Quotes
Pavel Durov
Founder and CEO of Telegram
“"If ICANN approves the application, Telegram’s more than one billion users could receive their own second‑level domains in the format yourname.gram."”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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