[Crypto projects](https://revain.org/projects/) › The Open Network

# The Open Network (GRAM): how it works, supply and reviews

## In short

- **Type**: Layer-1 blockchain with a masterchain, workchains and automatic dynamic sharding
- **Initial distribution**: 98.55% of the supply was placed in Giver smart contracts for open proof-of-work mining from July 2020
- **Risks and caveats**: Telegram is becoming the network's largest validator, which concentrates influence in one company.
- **Checked**: 31 October 2026

## Key facts

- **Ticker**: GRAM (Toncoin/TON until 15 June 2026)
- **Official site**: [ton.org](https://ton.org/)

Key facts checked on 31 October 2026 against official sources.

## What is The Open Network

The Open Network (TON) is a proof-of-stake layer-1 blockchain originally designed by Telegram and now developed with the open-source community. It is integrated into the Telegram messenger. Its native coin, called Toncoin until June 2026 and Gram (GRAM) since, pays fees and is staked by validators.

## Network and consensus

| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Layer-1 blockchain with a masterchain, workchains and automatic dynamic sharding |
| Consensus | Proof of stake; validators run Catchain 2.0, a version of the Simplex protocol |
| Block time | About 0.4 seconds per block and about 0.6 seconds to finality |
| Smart contracts | Yes; contracts run on the stack-based TON Virtual Machine (TVM), written in Tolk or FunC |
| Validators | Technical minimum stake 300,000 GRAM; in practice about 1,000,000 GRAM |

## Supply and issuance

| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Initial distribution | 98.55% of the supply was placed in Giver smart contracts for open proof-of-work mining from July 2020 |
| Issuance | Initial mining distribution ended on 17 June 2022 |
| Staking rewards | Holders earn rewards by locking Gram for validation, directly or through nominator and liquid-staking pools |

## What GRAM is used for

- Paying network fees (fixed, not dependent on load)
- Staking for validation
- Voting on network matters
- Payments inside Telegram, such as Telegram Stars, Premium and ad payouts

## Who develops and governs The Open Network

- **Founders**: Original design by Dr. Nikolai Durov of Telegram, described in a series of whitepapers
- **Developer**: Developed by Telegram and the open-source community; Telegram is becoming its largest validator
- **Governance**: Validators vote on network upgrades; token-holder votes run on TON Vote, weighted by balances
- **Open source**: Yes; node, validator and compiler code is in the ton-blockchain GitHub monorepo

## History

| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Dr. Nikolai Durov writes the original Telegram Open Network whitepapers, which named the token Gram. |
| July 2020 | 98.55% of the coin supply becomes available for open mining through Giver contracts. |
| 17 June 2022 | The last Toncoin is mined, completing the initial distribution. |
| April 2026 | Catchain 2.0 consensus is activated, bringing sub-second finality. |
| 15 June 2026 | After a community vote (81.22% in favour), the native coin is renamed from Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM); no swap or migration. |

## Security and audits

- A permanent bug bounty pays up to $100,000 in Grams or USDt for vulnerabilities in the TON node code or standard contracts.
- The rename to Gram required no action; offers to "claim GRAM" or "migrate TON" are scams.

## Risks and caveats

- Telegram is becoming the network's largest validator, which concentrates influence in one company.
- Fake 'migration' or 'claim' offers appeared around the 2026 rename; no user action was needed.
- Validation needs a large stake (about 1,000,000 GRAM in practice), so most holders stake through pools.

## Official links

- Website: [ton.org](https://ton.org/)
- Docs: [docs.ton.org](https://docs.ton.org/)
- Whitepaper: [docs.ton.org/foundations/whitepapers/overview](https://docs.ton.org/foundations/whitepapers/overview)
- Source code: [github.com/ton-blockchain/ton](https://github.com/ton-blockchain/ton)
- Announcements: [t.me/gram](https://t.me/gram)

## Questions and answers

**What is TON?**

The Open Network (TON) is a proof-of-stake layer-1 blockchain designed by Telegram and integrated into the Telegram messenger.

**Is Toncoin now called Gram?**

Yes. After a community vote, the native coin was renamed from Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM) on 15 June 2026. Balances and addresses did not change.

**Who created TON?**

The original design was written by Dr. Nikolai Durov of Telegram; today it is developed by Telegram and the open-source community.

**How was Toncoin distributed?**

98.55% of the supply was released through open mining from July 2020 until the last coin was mined on 17 June 2022.

**How fast is TON?**

Blocks take about 0.4 seconds and finality about 0.6 seconds since the Catchain 2.0 consensus upgrade.

## Sources

- [TON — home page](https://ton.org/)
- [TON Docs — Whitepapers overview](https://docs.ton.org/foundations/whitepapers/overview)
- [TON Docs — Staking overview](https://docs.ton.org/nodes/staking/overview)
- [TON monorepo README (GitHub)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ton-blockchain/ton/master/README.md)
- [TON bug bounty (GitHub)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ton-blockchain/bug-bounty/master/README.md)
- [The Open Network — Toncoin mining has successfully ended (17 June 2022)](https://telegra.ph/Toncoin-mining-has-successfully-ended-06-17)
- [Gram of TON — official Telegram channel (rename announcements, June 2026)](https://t.me/s/gram)

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Page updated: 2026-10-31

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Source: https://revain.org/projects/toncoin/