That Telegram Premium was on the way hasn’t been a secret. That much, we have known. While we only covered that recently, the cat has been out of the bag for at least a year and a half now. And now, it is here. Or so says Telegram founder Pavel Durov.
Now, what is Telegram Premium and does it mean that you will have to pay to stay in that football banter group you’ve belonged to since college? Or, like most Kenyans on the app do, that (lewd) chat group you are all subscribed to (where some of you even pay for “tea” and other things that are beyond the scope of this publication)?
The answer to the latter is, no. An emphatic no. Like other services we know and use – think Spotify Premium, YouTube Premium, LastPass Premium and the like – Telegram Premium is just the normal Telegram as you know and use it but with some extras that justify those using it to pay to access them.
As previously promised, those extras are targeted at businesses and those who take their usage of Telegram beyond the “normal”. These include access to higher file limits – i.e. being able to send some very large files – and the like as well as a streamlining of the ad experience on Telegram that taps into already existing ways in which owners of large public channels monetize their reach by offering them better tools to do that (other than just posting in the groups) that work for them and the users (non-intrusive and respectful of user privacy).
Obviously, there are other perks of being a Telegram Premium subscriber. Just like users of BlackBerry’s Porsche Design devices had special BBM (remember it? May it continue resting in peace) codes, Telegram Premium subscribers will have access to exclusive stickers which only them can use – but which, thankfully, the rest of us can still view when they are sent to us. They will also be the first in line to receive new updates.
How about that?
As of now, we have no idea what the pricing structure of this is like and we’ll be sure to update the same as – and when – we know it.
