What anonymous +888 numbers are and how Fragment auctions work

Telegram accounts are tied to phone numbers. Anonymous numbers in the +888 range are phone numbers that do not belong to any mobile carrier: they exist only as NFTs on the TON blockchain and are sold through Fragment. Whoever holds the NFT can use the number to sign up for or log in to Telegram — no SIM card involved.

What you actually own

Each +888 number is an item of the "Anonymous Telegram Numbers" NFT collection. Most numbers have eleven digits (+888 0123 4567); some are shorter. Owning the item means:

• the number is linked to your TON wallet, and you can move it to another wallet like any NFT;
• you can list it for sale or put it up for auction;
• login codes for a Telegram account on that number are delivered through Fragment to the owner of the NFT instead of by SMS.

Because the owner is a wallet address, the chain shows which wallet holds a number, but not which Telegram account uses it.

On apiton.org every known number has a page, for example +888 0000 1312, and the numbers hub lets you browse numbers for sale, numbers on auction and series such as +888 0….

How the on-chain auction works

Fragment sells numbers and collectible usernames with the telemint contracts published by Telegram (TelegramMessenger/telemint). The auction state is stored in the NFT item itself, so anyone can read it with get-methods (get_telemint_auction_config, get_telemint_auction_state). The config has these fields:

Field	Meaning
beneficiary	who receives the winning bid
initial_min_bid	the smallest first bid
max_bid	a "buy now" price: a bid at or above it ends the auction at once (0 = none)
min_bid_step	how much larger, in percent, the next bid must be
min_extend_time	a late bid pushes the end so at least this much time remains
duration	the length of the auction

From the contract code: the next minimum bid is the larger of "current bid + 1 💎" and "current bid increased by min_bid_step percent". When someone outbids you, your bid is sent back to your wallet with an "outbid" notification. When the auction ends, the NFT goes to the highest bidder and the beneficiary receives the funds (minus royalties, if any).

The apiton API returns this as TeleAuction: last_bid (amount, bidder, time), next_min_bid, end_time and the config above. See @apitonBot for the same data in Telegram.

Fixed-price listings, on-chain and off

A number can also be offered at a fixed price:

• On-chain sale contract. The owner transfers the NFT to a marketplace sale contract that releases it to whoever pays the price. The price is readable on-chain.
• Off-chain Fragment listing. Fragment also lets owners list a number while the NFT stays in their wallet. There is no sale contract to read, so apiton takes the asking price from the public Fragment page and marks it "per fragment.com".

Where a price comes from explains the three sources in detail.

Checking a number

1. Open its page on apiton.org — /number/888… with digits only — or send +888 … to @apitonBot.
2. Read the status: not listed, for sale (with the price and its source) or on auction (current bid, next minimum bid, end time).
3. Before paying, confirm the live state: on-chain reads are authoritative, catalog data is cached.

Numbers that do not exist as NFTs (never minted) show "not found": the +888 range is not fully issued.

Summary

• +888 numbers are NFTs on TON; the holder can use them to log in to Telegram without a SIM.
• Auctions run inside the NFT contract (telemint): minimum step in percent, extension on late bids, instant finish at max_bid, automatic refunds for outbid bidders.
• Browse numbers for sale and auctions, and get alerts in @apitonBot.