After launching a new ad-free Premium tier earlier this year, Telegram is now auctioning off rare usernames on the TON blockchain to generate more revenue. The messenger is hosting the auction through a new marketplace, where users can bid on rare usernames using Toncoins.

If you're interested in participating in the auction, you can head to Fragment.com and log in with your Telegram account, the tonkeeper app, or your TON-based wallet to place a bid, reports TechCrunch. Once you purchase a username on Fragment.com, the website will also help you link your Telegram account to the new username. For additional details, check out Fragment's about page.

The auction currently includes rare four- and five-character usernames, with a minimum auction value of 10,000 Toncoins for four-character handles. That's pretty steep, given the current market value of Toncoins (~$1.66 at the time of writing). But it doesn't seem to have deterred interested buyers as a few usernames, like @bank and @casino, have already reached minimum bid values of 73,500 and 52,500 Toncoins.

Telegram users who currently have a rare username associated with their account will get the option to auction it off through the same channel in the future. The company says, "Pre-existing usernames that are currently in use on Telegram can't be used for auctions, however, their owners may get a chance to convert them into collectibles in the future." But it has not shared any information about the process at the moment. We'll let you know as soon as we have more details.

Would you bid on a rare Telegram username for your account? Is a vanity username worth it? Let us know in the comments section below.


Via: TechCrunch