The Telegram blockchain project is moving a step closer with another milestone. Based on a report by Russian media, Telegram would release the code to run a node on the network on Sunday, September 1.
The announcement by Russian newspaper Vedomosti is based on information from one of the Telegram ICO investors. The code should allow public testing of the node system for the Telegram Open Network (TON).
There is currently no official announcement from Pavel Durov’s team, but if true, the information adds another milestone to Telegram’s blockchain efforts. Established at the start of 2018, the Telegram blockchain project has lagged for 18 months, despite raising the equivalent of $1.7 billion in one of the biggest ICOs in history.
Telegram has promised to launch its mainnet on October 31, when the Gram (TON) tokens would also be unlocked. Currently, the tokens are traded through small-scale OTC deals, as the Telegram agreement holds that ICO buyers should not sell their holdings. The market is extremely risky, as it only holds the promise of transferring a token in the future. Additionally, smaller tranches of Gram tokens were sold on the Liquid exchange.
Vedomosti reports that until now, the TON network was in closed testing with selected experts worldwide. The current testnet has one official node to act as a substitute for node-based consensus. Opening the nodes to the public may reveal more about the approach of Telegram to a blockchain solution.
The Telegram chat app has always been close to the crypto community, offering some of the busiest communication channels. But there are also doubts that Telegram could be facilitating crypto financing and fundraising for terrorism organizations.
Telegram is also the venue for multiple attempts at scamming users, as well as pump groups promising guaranteed efforts to lift the price of a coin on a predetermined schedule.
