TON Doesn't Stand for 'Telegram Open Network' Anymore

Going forward, the abbreviation "TON" will stand for "The Open Network," following the departure of the project's original creator, Telegram.

Listen to article TON once stood for "Telegram Open Network," but has changed its name to reflect the messaging giant's departure from the blockchain project.

Telegram officially terminated its involvement in Telegram Open Network in mid-May 2020.

Although Telegram's version of TON is no longer moving forward, it has given rise to other projects like Free TON and NewTON.The name change was planned from the beginning.

TON's white paper revealed that the project's name has two different meanings - "Telegram Open Network," and "The Open Network".

"By 2021 the initial TON vision and architecture will have been implemented and deployed. TON will then let go of the"Telegram" element in its name and become "The Open Network".

The continuous evolution of the TON Blockchain will be maintained by the TON Foundation.

Telegram Open Network was originally designed by Telegram CTO and co-founder Nikolai Durov, working alongside his brother, Pavel Durov.

Prior to Durov's announcement, an independent group of software developers called the Free TON community launched the "Free TON Blockchain" on May 7.

A Free TON representative explained to Cointelegraph that "Telegram Open Network" and "The Open Network" refer to the same technology, but different networks.