While a phone number is required to sign up for a Telegram account, thanks to a new feature, a SIM card isn't. Instead of using their phone number, Telegram enables users to sign up for an account using an anonymous blockchain-powered phone number purchased on Fragment. On the platform, users can purchase a number to use exclusively with Telegram. As a result, a user's contacts will not be able to find them using their phone number. Since the number can't be used for anything other than Telegram, it adds an extra degree of anonymity.