The Open Network (TON), a blockchain infrastructure project originally created by Telegram, has recently revealed its roadmap for the first half of 2025. The roadmap outlines a series of major upgrades, including a new Layer 2 (L2) payment network and several quality-of-life improvements. These advancements aim to improve the network’s scalability, decentralization, and usability.

Focus on Layer 2 Payment Network

One of the key highlights of TON’s 2025 roadmap is the Layer 2 Payment Network. This network is designed to improve the blockchain's performance by providing faster and cheaper transaction capabilities. The payment channel network, often likened to Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, will enable instant money transfers with low fees. This will be crucial for applications requiring high transaction speeds, such as on-chain trading and gaming.

The TON Layer 2 Payment Network will handle micro-commissions and seamless asset swaps, offering faster payment solutions while relieving pressure on the main network. In the long term, TON hopes to create a more robust payment ecosystem that can handle the demands of modern decentralized finance (DeFi) and consumer applications.

Enhancements to TON’s Core Functionality

The TON Core team has outlined several other notable upgrades, including:

• Accelerator Mainnet Upgrade: The first major upgrade will enhance the network’s shardchain tracking and separate validator functions into two distinct roles: collators, who collect transactions, and validators, who validate blocks. This will improve the overall efficiency of the TON blockchain.
• Interoperability Goals: TON is also aiming to enhance its interoperability by partnering with major projects like Axelar, LayerZero, and Wormhole. This will enable cross-chain compatibility, allowing assets to move seamlessly between TON and other blockchain networks.
• Programming Language Update: The TON team is also focusing on improving its smart contract capabilities with the launch of TOLK 1.0, which will offer better programming tools for developers.
• BTC Bridging Mechanism: TON plans to develop a bridge between Bitcoin and Toncoin, enabling users to transfer BTC to the TON ecosystem with ease. This feature, which is being developed in collaboration with RSquad, is expected to provide users with minimal friction when moving assets across networks.

TON’s Path to Sustainable Growth

TON has successfully built a large user base, reaching over 113 million users in January 2025, despite the end of its airdrop campaigns. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the network generated over $2 million in fees, signaling a sustainable growth trajectory for the platform. However, the project is still working to optimize its DeFi sector, which currently holds a modest $294 million in total value locked (TVL).

One of the key areas of focus for TON is to expand its use cases beyond meme tokens and limited airdrops. The network aims to make strides toward becoming a payment chain, focusing on utility and real-world use cases.