⚖️How Competitors Are Bringing Users to Telegram and TON

Pavel Durov recently returned from France, and Telegram officially became a social media giant, with over 1 billion monthly active users. People open the messenger an average of 21 times per day, spending a total of 41 minutes in the app. The company itself has become profitable, recording $547 million in revenue in 2024.

Last year, Telegram launched Gateway - a tool that allows services to send verification codes to users via @VerificationCodes instead of expensive and unreliable SMS. As a result, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Coinbase, TikTok, PSN, and even Tinder 🥹 have started using Telegram for user verification.

Turns out, the very same giants that spent years trying to hinder Telegram's growth (by banning links, blocking channels, and even lobbying against the messenger) are now leading their own audience into Durov’s ecosystem.

All because Telegram Gateway is simply cheaper. Sending a verification code costs $0.01, whereas SMS can cost up to $0.50 - not to mention potential delays and failures.

Now, here is a question:
If users are already receiving their verification codes in Telegram, could they stay in the ecosystem and continue enjoying it?

The answer is simple:
When users regularly open Telegram for notifications and verification codes, they get used to it. Some start messaging, others discover channels, and some try out bots and mini-apps.

Then, we get naturally: Mini Apps → Payments → TON

Since TON is Telegram’s native blockchain, it naturally attracts new users who explore the ecosystem’s possibilities. They create crypto wallets, try P2P exchanges, join gaming projects, and use decentralized services - all within a familiar environment.

The Ironic Reality:
- Telegram gains new users thanks to its convenience and low costs
- TON gains new users due to Telegram integration
- Competitors pay Telegram to introduce their audience to its ecosystem

Now, if Telegram has become the most convenient tool for verification, what’s stopping it from becoming the standard for subscriptions, logins, and transactions?

WhatsApp has spent years trying to catch up with Telegram but remains a "watered-down copy" of it. Their recent attempts to introduce payments and bot platforms feel like a rushed response to what Telegram has already perfected. The same goes for LINE, KakaoTalk, and other messengers trying to copy Telegram’s model (blockchain + mini apps).

Now imagine what happens when millions of users fully explore TON’s blockchain, decentralized apps, and the ability to earn money directly within Telegram. Meanwhile, as competitors pay for Telegram’s convenience, it simply keeps moving forward, building a platform where everything—from communication to finance—is in one place.

In a few years, we might look back and laugh at how Facebook, Google, and Amazon unintentionally helped build the world’s largest crypto ecosystem.

Your long-term @TonPost