Helium Mobile, a decentralized mobile and wireless network, shared its first progress update since the project revealed its product roadmap in June.
The decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePin) announced expanded coverage, increased compatibility with third-party hardware manufacturers, and pilot programs with other telecommunication carriers to explore network interoperability.
Helium’s licensing program provides hardware developers with an avenue to create and launch network-compatible hardware such as routers, hotspots, and wireless relays that underpin the wireless communication network.
RAKwireless became the first hardware manufacturer to take advantage of Helium's licensing program for its MNTD.FI Pro mobile hotspot, which is currently only available in the United States.
Helium is also attempting to facilitate crossover between other wireless carriers and its decentralized network through the OpenRoaming framework, a wireless standard developed by the Wireless Broadband Alliance.
Helium builds on previous partnerships
At the beginning of 2024, telecommunications company Telefónica announced a partnership with the Helium network to expand wireless coverage in Mexico.
The partnership allowed Telefónica subscribers in Mexico City and Oaxaca to connect to nearby Helium Mobile hotspots, offloading traffic from Telefónica’s network and increasing network coverage to dead spots in remote areas.
DePin attempting to disrupt traditional infrastructure
Decentralized physical infrastructure networks are once again in the limelight, with the sector ranking among the most profitable in the first half of 2024. According to data from BitEye, DePin returned an average of 58.74% to investors.
These networks allow individuals and communities to take control of the physical infrastructure around them and earn a return by providing services and maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure.
Regulated utilities such as internet service providers, energy companies, and telecom companies are notorious for being capital-intensive enterprises that require huge sums of initial investment to provide the infrastructure and labor for their services.
Because of the outsized costs, utility companies have monopolistic protection in local jurisdictions. They work with local governments to set prices and policies in return for being the only provider with the right to provide services to the geographical area.
Advocates for DePin argue that these distributed networks can disrupt the internet and Big Tech by lowering barriers to entry for regulated utilities that control markets through regulatory capture.