Definition
A Telegram bot is an automated Telegram account, controlled through Telegram's HTTP-based Bot API, that businesses use to send notifications, answer questions and run conversational services for users who have started a chat with it.
Bots are created with Telegram's @BotFather, which issues a token. The business's server then calls the Bot API to send messages, media, keyboards and inline buttons, and receives updates by webhook or long polling.
Telegram's Bots FAQ gives indicative limits: avoid more than one message per second in a single chat, no more than 20 messages per minute in a group, and about 30 messages per second for bulk notifications. Sustained excess returns 429 errors. Bots that meet Telegram's thresholds can enable paid broadcasts of up to 1,000 messages per second, billed in Telegram Stars for messages above the free rate.
A bot can only message users who have started it or interacted with it. That makes Telegram an opt-in channel by design, well suited to alerts, news, OTP-style notifications and community support.
In the Middle East, Telegram usage varies by country, and some markets restrict certain features. Check the audience's channel preferences before making it a primary channel.