Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the secure instant messaging application Telegram, has made a major announcement regarding the provision of a free website service to all Telegram users. This means that any Telegram user will be able to host their own website for free.
Pavel Durov stated that the company has applied for the .gram domain. If this application is approved, Telegram users will be able to obtain a web address linked to their name. For example, if your nickname on Telegram is @rahul, in the future you could have an address like rahul.gram.
At first glance, this might seem like just news about a new domain, but there is a larger plan behind it for Telegram. According to the CEO, after obtaining .gram, around a billion Telegram users will be able to create second-level domains under their names, which will significantly shorten the distance between a Telegram user's nickname and their digital identity on the internet.
When you look at the URL of any website, such as aajtak.in or google.com, the part that comes after the dot, such as .com or .in, is called the top-level domain. Similarly, .gram could become a new top-level domain. However, it does not currently belong to Telegram; the company has applied for it, and official permission is required for its use. In August 2026, a large number of applications for new domains were received, and Telegram is part of this process. Plans to use addresses like yourname.gram can only move forward after the application is approved.
Pavel Durov stated that users will be able to create interactive websites at their .gram address. This means that a Telegram user's nickname can become the address of their site. For instance, if a content creator's nickname is @xyz, they may eventually have the address xyz.gram, where they can showcase their content, information, or other materials.
It was also revealed that although it is currently possible to quickly create websites using artificial intelligence (AI) with a single prompt, hosting and domains usually require payment. However, the service from Telegram will be free, meaning no payment will be required for domain purchase, and the site will be created using AI. The most interesting thing is that creating such a site might only require one prompt. This indicates Telegram's desire to simplify the process of creating websites using artificial intelligence. Nevertheless, it should be noted that this service has not yet been launched, and users will have to wait.
It should not be forgotten that this decision was not made suddenly. The company has been trying to expand the capabilities of its application beyond simple chat for some time. Telegram has introduced its own browser and Mini Apps Store. Its browser allows viewing sites created on TON alongside regular websites. The company is also working on using Telegram nicknames as web addresses. Previously, the CEO had reported support for direct web links like username.t.me. Thus, using a nickname as an address on the internet started even before this, and .gram looks like the next big step in this direction.
If this plan is fully implemented, Telegram will cease to be just a messenger like WhatsApp or Signal. It will include chats, channels, bots, mini-apps, and now also the ability to provide a dedicated domain for one's own website. Simultaneously, Telegram is actively integrating artificial intelligence into its platform. Durov recently announced features such as the Rich Text Editor in Telegram, which includes AI-based content and other tools.
It will be interesting to see whether ICANN approves Telegram's application for .gram. Only after approval will it be clear whether Durov's idea can succeed and whether it will lead to an increase in the number of Telegram users wishing to receive a free website. It should be mentioned that ICANN is a non-profit organization that manages domains worldwide.