Connecting the Unconnected in Nigeria: Wicrypt Unveils WiFi Hotspots with On-Chain peaq IDs

Wicrypt Network, a pioneer in decentralized mobile Internet sharing and monetization, is forging ahead with its integration into the peaq ecosystem. The company has successfully linked its initial WiFi hotspots to krest, peaq's sister blockchain. These hotspots now boast unique peaq IDs, simplifying connectivity with the peaq network for users.

—

The digital divide, a term denoting the unequal access to the internet, remains a pressing issue worldwide. Approximately 2.7 billion people, equivalent to one-third of the global population, lack access to the World Wide Web.
The most affected regions, Asia and Africa, exhibit internet penetration rates of 61% and 40%, respectively.
These disparities often leave vulnerable communities, with the most to gain from online opportunities, at a disadvantage.

Wicrypt's Innovative Solution

Based in Nigeria, Wicrypt is on a mission to bridge this digital divide through its decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) of WiFi hotspots. These hotspots enable individuals and businesses to share their internet connections, tackling the last-mile delivery challenge.

In return, participants earn tokens based on their usage statistics. Presently, Wicrypt's DePIN network encompasses over 1,100 hotspots across 30+ countries, serving more than 45,000 accounts and facilitating the transfer of over 895TB of data.

Integration with peaq

Wicrypt initiated its integration with peaq in April 2023. This endeavor aims to provide seamless connectivity to users worldwide. Recently, Wicrypt successfully connected several hotspots with krest, peaq's sister chain, designed for testing decentralized applications (dApps) and DePINs.

These hotspots now possess unique peaq IDs, enabling interaction with the network. Transactions conducted by the devices are now recorded on krest, laying the foundation for future reward distribution.

In a significant development, Wicrypt has unveiled an updated operating system for its devices, ensuring compatibility with peaq out-of-the-box. New users can purchase pre-connected devices, while existing users can manually switch to this operating system.

Wicrypt is committed to supporting the peaq ecosystem and has made the integration open-source, providing documentation and instructional videos for users to seamlessly connect their devices to peaq.

Uplifting the Underserved

“We are thrilled to be moving ahead with this integration and bringing the first hotspots live on krest,” says Ugochukwu Aronu, the CEO at Wicrypt.

“As a production-grade network, krest gives us a perfect testing environment for everything we build on peaq, and in the longer term, it will boost the rewards users earn on our DePIN ecosystem. It’s the perfect incentivisation mechanism to power connecting the disconnected.”
“The digital divide is the plague of today’s world."

Till Wendler, co-founder of peaq
“It’s exciting to see krest work as a testing ground for a project working to cure it. The launch of Wicrypt hotspots on krest is just the beginning as this DePIN takes on the global crisis with top-notch Web3 tools and a desire to make the world a better place," added Till.

—

About peaq

peaq is the go-to blockchain for real-world applications. The peaq layer-1 blockchain enables anyone to build decentralized applications (dApps) and Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs) for car-sharing, street-mapping, Web access, and more, creating real-world value as part of the Economy of Things.

peaq works with industry-leading consortia such as Gaia-x moveID, a €20+ million project led by Bosch, to co-create the future of smart mobility, energy, connectivity, and other important real-world industries. By empowering everyone to own, govern, and earn from the devices and infrastructure they use, peaq is democratizing abundance in the age of AI-driven automation.

For more information, visit peaq, follow peaq on Twitter for updates, and join the conversation on Discord.

About Wicrypt

Wicrypt is a decentralized WiFi internet sharing and monetization network that allows anyone to get paid for sharing their WiFi. Wicrypt is the first African company to build a peer-to-peer infrastructure for sharing mobile internet data without need for third-party integration.

Wicrypt has an international team with experience working for some of Africa’s largest employers, including KPMG, Chevron, Accenture, Nielsen, and MTN Group, and is headquartered in Enugu, Nigeria.