With over 800 million monthly subscribers worldwide, Telegram is edging closer to implementing an ecosystem model akin to WeChat’s super app concept. With the assistance of two titans, Tencent, the owner of WeChat, and Telegram’s crypto partner TON Foundation, some components of the ecosystem will become decentralized.
Telegram has been developing on a platform where outside developers may create tiny apps to connect with users, from restaurants to games. Telegram claims that developers may use JavaScript to create indefinitely dynamic user interfaces. It can be launched right inside Telegram. And it can completely replace any website.”
Telegram depends upon a network of infrastructure partners from the conventional tech sector. It also depends on the cryptocurrency realm to expand this super app platform. One of these is The Open Network (TON) Foundation, which establishes the blockchain foundation for Telegram while still functioning as a separate entity.
The TON Foundation announced this week that it has partnered with Tencent Cloud. Which has “already effectively backed TON validators. And plans to increase its services further to help meet TON’s high processing intensity and network connectivity needs.” Participants who aid in the authentication of transactions in a blockchain network are known as validators in web3 jargon.
In China, WeChat was the first to use the tiny app concept. Now it powers millions of apps that do tasks like payments, food delivery, e-commerce. Also powers apps like ride-hailing, and driver’s license renewal, to mention a few. Telegram’s micro app ecosystem may be able to appeal to a wider range of users worldwide with the help of a decentralized payments network.
Adapting strategies from WeChat
Tencent Cloud won’t be TON’s only cloud provider, but it appears that the partners will benefit from their synergies. Given the similarities between WeChat mini applications and Telegram mini apps, Justin Hyun, head of growth at TON Foundation, said, “We believe that mini app builders from WeChat who are currently using Tencent’s cloud service will begin to build on TON.”
Additionally, the developers would have to become familiar with the blockchain-specific programming languages. This may prove to be less of a challenge than comprehending the financial incentives that support decentralized applications.
However, a relationship with Tencent might provide guidance on how to persuade users to utilize a messenger for a variety of other things. Importantly, WeChat’s early success was greatly aided by its payment features. Which created a habit among users to conduct daily transactions using the chat service.
WeChat has become a cash cow for Tencent by making its in-house payment system the default choice. However, Telegram has connected with 20 payment options and charges no fees through its Bot Payments API.
A self-custodial wallet that is independently created by The Open Platform (TOP) using the TON blockchain. It was recently embraced by Telegram in addition to more established options like Google Pay or Apple Pay. In areas without centralized internet payments, having a crypto wallet may open up a wide range of transaction possibilities.
It would be interesting to see how a micro app ecosystem with a decentralized twist develops. And what WeChat’s lessons are for Telegram and TON.
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