Helium: The Decentralized Connectivity Revolution You Need to Know

Helium Network is transforming the way we think about connectivity. It’s no longer about waiting for big telecom companies to build infrastructure. Now, ordinary people are earning cryptocurrencies just by sharing wireless internet coverage. Sounds like science fiction? But it’s happening for real.

From Zero to Million: How Helium Grew So Fast

When it launched its flagship product, the Helium hotspot, in 2019, no one predicted it would reach where it is today. Today, the network has nearly one million hotspots spread across 192 countries and 77,000 cities — making it the largest LoRaWAN (Long-Range Wide-Area Network) on the planet.

The infrastructure works very simply: hotspots are basically nodes that provide wireless coverage for low-power IoT devices. In return, owners earn rewards in tokens. It’s a completely different approach from the centralized model of traditional telecoms — here, individuals build the network together.

Why Helium Moved to Solana (E What This Means)

In April 2023, Helium made a strategic move: it left its own blockchain and migrated to Solana. Why? Simplicity: scalability, lower costs, and access to a much larger development ecosystem.

The numbers speak for themselves. On the original Helium blockchain, a transaction cost on average $0.35. On Solana, it drops to $0.00025. This seemingly small difference multiplies when you have millions of devices communicating simultaneously.

Additionally, Solana has a much more active and accessible developer community. This means more innovation, more partnerships, and more applications being built on the Helium network.

The Tokens Explained: HNT, IOT, MOBILE, and Others

Helium doesn’t operate with a single token. Each part of the network has its own:

HNT (Current price: $1.37 | 24h change: -3.29%) is the native token. It serves two purposes: paying network fees (in the form of data credits) and participating in governance.

IOT is mined by LoRaWAN hotspots. Hotspot owners earn this token as a reward for providing coverage and validating data transfer through the PoC (Proof of Coverage) algorithm.

MOBILE (24h change: -4.12%) works similarly, but for the 5G network. The more coverage you provide, the more MOBILE you earn. Some users already offset up to 3 months of phone bills with these tokens — the network is offering $5 unlimited plans in Miami, for example.

All these tokens can be exchanged between each other via the Helium Wallet, making it flexible for users.

The IoT Network: When Technology Meets the Real World

Helium’s IoT network is not just theory. Real companies are using it to save millions.

Roof Tec, a roofing specialist, used connected sensors on the network to detect a disconnected fan that was causing mold. The result? Avoided a roof replacement costing $40,000.

Greenmetrics revolutionized irrigation on golf courses. With weather stations and soil sensors connected via Helium, they managed to reduce irrigation costs by up to 28% — and saved 5 to 10 times on hardware costs.

Owen Equipment used expensive and unreliable 3G cellular networks. After adopting Helium, their costs dropped by 47%, device battery life doubled, and the company was able to secure over $2 million in assets.

These are not isolated cases. With over 100,000 actively connected devices (not counting roaming partners), Helium is becoming the invisible infrastructure that no one notices but many companies depend on.

The 5G Network: The Next Step

Besides IoT, Helium expanded into 5G through the Helium Mobile network. In one year, they managed to deploy 8,000 CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) 5G radios.

The difference here is that ordinary citizens can earn tokens by providing mobile coverage. It’s true decentralization — no one needs to rely on a big telecom.

How It Really Works: The PoC Algorithm

Helium’s core is the Proof of Coverage (PoC) algorithm. Instead of using computational energy like Bitcoin, PoC verifies whether hotspots are actually providing coverage as promised.

The algorithm randomly selects hotspots to “challenge” each other — basically, one hotspot tests if it can communicate with another. If successful, both earn rewards. It’s a system that rewards real coverage, not just passive participation.

Governance: Tokens Giving Voting Power

After migrating to Solana, Helium adopted a governance model called veToken. It works like this: you lock your HNT, IOT, or MOBILE tokens for a period, and the longer you lock them, the greater your voting power.

Each sub-network has autonomy: IoT votes on IoT-related issues, the mobile network votes on 5G, and Helium’s main network votes on emissions and overall policy.

This created a system where “the more you commit, the more influence you have” — aligning incentives between token holders and the future of the network.

What Changes Now: Compressed NFTs and Smart Contracts

With Solana, hotspots are now minted as NFTs — but with a crucial difference: they are “compressed NFTs” that take up much less space, reducing fees and improving scalability.

Additionally, the smart contract functionality unlocks possibilities that were previously limited. Developers can now build sophisticated DApps on top of Helium’s infrastructure — from asset tracking applications to climate monitoring.

The Future: From Spectrum Sharing to Infrastructure Sharing

Helium’s original vision was disruptive but simple: why do large corporations control all connectivity? Why not allow individuals to benefit?

Amir Haleem, Shawn Fanning (creator of Napster), and Sean Carey founded the project in 2013 with this mission. Today, with 223 million HNT in circulation and a successful migration to Solana (SOL: $143.80 | 24h change: -2.25%), the project is well positioned for what’s next.

Open funding for open-source development through the Helium Foundation’s grant program is attracting talent. Possibilities range from wildfire detection to smart water measurement — an entire category of IoT that was previously economically unfeasible.

Helium is not just a cryptocurrency project. It’s a demonstration that critical infrastructure doesn’t need to be in the hands of a few. It can be distributed, incentivized, and controlled by the community that builds it.