Pavel Durov said this week that Telegram will replace the TON Foundation as the main operational force behind the TON blockchain, a major structural change for one of the market’s closely watched Layer 1 networks. Toncoin moved higher after the announcement as traders assessed what the shift could mean for the chain’s direction and governance.
In a post on X, Durov wrote that fees on TON have fallen 6x, to nearly zero. He added that the next step is for Telegram to replace the TON Foundation, with the focus moving to technical superiority. According to the source material, TON’s current transaction fee is about 0.00039 TON, roughly less than one-tenth of a cent, and it stays fixed even when network activity rises.
Low and predictable fees are central to the new pitch
The significance of the change is not only that fees are lower. TON is also presenting them as predictable. For developers and users, volatile on-chain costs can make everyday payments and consumer-facing blockchain apps hard to use at scale. TON is trying to remove that obstacle.
The article compares TON with several major networks. Ethereum fees can vary sharply and may climb to several dollars during busy periods. Solana sits at around $0.00025 per transaction. BNB Smart Chain is about $0.10, Cardano ranges from $0.11 to $0.40, and Polkadot is around $0.60. On cost alone, TON and Solana now appear to be in the same bracket.
The source also points to a distribution advantage. TON is tied to Telegram, a messaging platform used by nearly one billion people. That gives the network a built-in access channel that few other chains can match.
Telegram plans a direct role in network operations
Telegram is doing more than backing the ecosystem. The report says it is moving into core network operations, including becoming the largest validator and staking about 2.2 million TON. That step would give Telegram a direct role in strengthening the network’s security.
The change has already opened a governance debate. One side of the argument is whether direct Telegram control can speed up development; the other is whether it creates new forms of dependence around the network. The article frames Durov’s position as clear: he appears to favor the speed and focus of unified control over the trade-offs that come with governance decentralization.
The roadmap shift reaches beyond fees
Taken together, the fee reduction, validator expansion, and stronger Telegram control point to a broader repositioning for TON. The chain is moving away from a foundation-led model and toward a structure where Telegram has a more central operating role. The market reaction in Toncoin shows that traders are now watching whether this model can turn lower fees and tighter execution into sustained network usage and application growth.