Ice Open Network

Ice Open Network is a Layer 1 blockchain that began in 2022 as a phone mining app, forked from TON, using proof-of-stake with authority validation and Byzantine fault tolerance across a three-tier Masterchain, Workchain and Shardchain structure for high concurrency. It targets the high barrier to node participation on high-performance chains: users simply tap inside the app daily, with mining rates tied to activity and invitation relationships. The mainnet went live in early 2025, and the ecosystem includes the decentralized social app Online+, the decentralized database ION Pulse, quantum-resistant storage IceVault and zero-knowledge identity IceID; ION Connect supports gasless transactions, and the token was renamed from $ICE to $ION in late 2025.

Among mobile-first chains its difference from other phone-participation projects is a delivered, runnable L1 and dApp framework rather than a points-only stage. In April 2026 a long-term service provider's unlocked tokens were sold in volume, sending $ION down 45% to 65% within days to new lows; subsequent disclosures showed cumulative spending above $18 million since 2022, a treasury of roughly 1 billion tokens and monthly burn near $400,000, putting contraction and shutdown scenarios on the table. The funding structure question became the dividing line of its 2026 trajectory.