Open Wireless Network, Helium, is Coming to a Phone Near You

Helium Network has partnered with FreedomFi, a connectivity company that manufactures open-source 5G devices. This is an important milestone for the network’s path to 5G. By voting to pass HIP 27, the community has come together to make the Helium Network “the first consumer-owned 5G network in the world.” Basically, if you have a phone that supports 5G, you would soon be able to connect through hotspots powered by the Helium. Ryan Watkins of Messari commented,

“In just 21 months, Helium has built a global wireless network for IoT devices whose infrastructure is entirely community-owned and operated.” “Their next step is replicating this success and deploying a similarly community-owned and operated 5G wireless network. Web 3 is coming.”

Founded in 2013, Helium Network, also known as the People’s Network, is a decentralized open wireless network built on a new blockchain. Relying on Proof of Coverage and a new consensus algorithm (HoneyBadger BFT), Helium is used to route data for long-range, lower power IoT devices. The network is live with over 28,000 hotspots in over 3,800 cities worldwide with a backorder of 200k. FreedomFi meanwhile has announced the presale waitlist of the inaugural batch of its Gateways, a connectivity device that pairs with 5G antennas and is compatible with the Helium Network. This year, the project expects the Helium 5G network to be available in selected cities in the US and then expand into other countries as early as next year. Hosts will also be able to earn a variable amount of HNT, depending on radio power, location, and amount of data traffic passing through their Hotspot. The native token is currently trading at $17.54, down 16.4% from its ATH of 20.85 earlier this month. [deco-beg-single-coin-widget coin="HNT"]