TON surges as Telegram takes validator control and cuts fees 6x
TON surged sharply this week after Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Telegram will replace the TON Foundation, become the largest validator, and cut TON fees by roughly 6x—down to near-zero. Price rose from about $1.30 on May 3 to around $2.50 in three days, with TON up over 30% in the past 24 hours.
The move also triggered a rapid jump in TON social activity. Santiment reported mentions reaching 91 in a four-hour window on May 5 (around 6x the usual level) and staying elevated across multiple windows. Analysts link the attention to Telegram’s direct control over validation and protocol direction.
Durov said on X that fees on TON are now close to zero and that Telegram will become the network’s largest validator. The next steps include new developer tools and performance upgrades. The ton.org website now shows a holding message: “ton.org is now controlled by MTONGA. Expect changes soon.”
This follows Durov’s earlier pledge of fee-less transactions and a core consensus upgrade (Catchain 2.0) on April 10, which improved finality (to ~1 second) and increased block production—changing validator rewards and staking dynamics.
Overall, TON’s price action and chatter suggest traders are interpreting the centralization move as bullish for adoption and user experience, despite similar concerns that arose when Arbitrum moved toward centralization.
Bullish
TON’s headline catalysts combine immediate economics (fees cut by ~6x toward near-zero) with perceived execution capacity (Telegram becoming the largest validator). That combination can attract users and developers quickly, supporting upside momentum. The article also shows social signals accelerating (6x mentions), which often precedes broader demand when traders expect improved UX and lower friction.
Traders are likely drawing a comparison to Arbitrum’s earlier centralization/gov concerns: even though centralization can raise governance and decentralization risk, this time the market reaction described is “positively” leaning bullish for TON. In the short term, expect volatility to remain elevated as headlines and chatter translate into flows. In the longer term, follow through on promised developer tools and performance upgrades will determine whether the bullish repricing sticks; if governance or transparency concerns intensify, sentiment could cool even with low fees.