The Open Network (TON) is a sharded Layer‑1 originally designed by Telegram, featuring dynamic workchains and instant cross‑shard consensus through the Vertical Blockchain mechanism. The TON Storage and TON DNS services extend functionality beyond payments, whereas the Tap‑to‑Transfer feature has onboarded millions of Telegram users. A 2025 governance vote approved jetton fee burns to make TON mildly deflationary.