WhatsApp rival Telegram may launch paid features for ‘premium’ users

WhatsApp rival Telegram has announced that it will introduce some premium features for its 500 million active users in 2021.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov said in an official statement that the paid features will majorly cater to business users and power users. On the other hand, regular users will still be able to enjoy free messaging. The company has not yet revealed as to what new features will be coming in the future.
In an official blog post, Durov said, “For most of Telegram’s history, I paid for the expenses of the company from my personal savings. However, with its current growth Telegram is on track to reach billions of users and to require appropriate funding. When a tech project reaches this scale, typically there are two options – start earning money to cover the costs, or sell the company.”
Durov also added that Telegram will start earning revenue from next year. He also added that one-to-one private messaging will also remain ad-free.