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Telegram Is Getting Ready To Paywall Some Features
The good news is that the premium subscription won’t limit non-premium users in any way because all existing features will remain free.
Since its launch in 2013, cross-platform messaging app Telegram has gained over 550 million monthly active users. To continue providing unrivaled limits on chats, media, and file uploads, Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, has recently announced the plan to launch a paid premium subscription plan.
According to Durov, a portion of Telegram’s user base has been asking for even higher limits than what the messaging app currently offers. Unfortunately, that’s not something Telegram can afford to do for all of its 550 million monthly active users because its infrastructure expenses would skyrocket.
“After giving it some thought, we realized that the only way to let our most demanding fans get more while keeping our existing features free is to make those raised limits a paid option,” Durov explains. “That’s why this month we will introduce Telegram Premium, a subscription plan that allows anyone to acquire additional features, speed, and resources.”
The subscription plan should be available later this month, and some of the features it will unlock were previewed in a recent version of Telegram. According to information obtained by people who analyzed the beta version, the plan should cost $4.99 a month, which is only half of what Discord charges for its Nitro subscription.
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The good news is that the introduction of the premium subscription won’t limit non-premium users in any way because all existing features will remain free. What’s more, they will be able to view extra-large documents, media, and stickers sent by premium users, and more.
As such, the introduction of the premium subscription plan seems like good news all around because it enables Telegram to become an even better version of itself without depending solely on ad revenue, which would give advertisers the power to indirectly influence the future of the messenger. Would you pay for the Telegram premium subscription?
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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
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The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.
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