Helium

Helium is a decentralized wireless network where individuals deploy hotspots and small cells to provide IoT and 5G coverage, earning crypto rewards for the data they relay. Originally launched on its own blockchain, Helium migrated to Solana in 2023 and is governed via the Helium DAO with HNT and its subnetwork tokens MOBILE and IOT.

All cryptocurrencies

What Is Helium?

Helium is a decentralized wireless network where individuals deploy hotspots and small cells to provide wireless coverage and earn crypto rewards for the data they relay. The network originally launched as a community-built LoRaWAN network for low-power Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and has since expanded into a 5G mobile data network through Helium Mobile. Helium is one of the most-cited examples of a "decentralized physical infrastructure network" (DePIN), in which token incentives bootstrap real-world hardware deployment.

Overview - Table of Contents
What Is Helium?
Getting Started With Helium
How To Get A Helium Wallet?
Helium Resources
How To Buy Helium?
Latest Helium News

Helium was founded in 2013 by Amir Haleem, Shawn Fanning (founder of Napster), and Sean Carey, originally as a startup building wireless networking hardware. The team launched the Helium Network and its blockchain in 2019, paying hotspot owners in HNT for providing LoRaWAN IoT coverage and for passing proof-of-coverage challenges that verify their hotspots are real and in the claimed location. Hotspots are typically small, low-power devices that homeowners and businesses plug in and let run in the background.

In 2022 the Helium community approved HIP-70, a major migration that moved Helium off its purpose-built Layer 1 and onto Solana. The migration completed in April 2023. The shift gave Helium access to Solana's throughput, tooling, and DeFi ecosystem, eliminated the need for the project to maintain its own consensus layer, and standardized HNT and the subnetwork tokens as SPL tokens. Helium continues to use proof-of-coverage and proof-of-data-transfer logic, but settlement, balances, and governance now live on Solana.

Helium has a two-layer token model. HNT is the network's reserve asset and is used as the settlement currency between subnetworks. Each subnetwork has its own token: MOBILE for the 5G network, IOT for the LoRaWAN network, and additional subnetwork tokens may be added through governance. Hotspot operators earn subnetwork tokens for providing coverage and transferring data, and those subnetwork tokens can be converted to HNT via the Data Credit treasury swap mechanism. End users and enterprises buy Data Credits (a non-tradeable, USD-pegged accounting unit) with HNT to pay for actual network usage; the burned HNT is reissued to network participants, creating a circular burn-and-mint economy.

HNT has a maximum supply of 223 million, with emissions following a halving schedule that started in 2019. Helium Mobile, the consumer mobile service launched on the MOBILE subnetwork, offers nationwide US coverage by combining community-deployed small cells with a fallback agreement with T-Mobile, and has marketed unusually low monthly plans as a wedge against incumbent carriers. The IoT network supports use cases such as asset tracking, environmental sensors, and smart agriculture, and counts large enterprise pilots among its references.

Getting Started With Helium

You can interact with Helium as a user, a hotspot operator, or a token holder:

Step 1: Install Helium Wallet (mobile or browser) and back up the seed phrase. Acquire HNT on a supported exchange and withdraw to your wallet on Solana.
Step 2: To use Helium Mobile, download the Helium Mobile app, choose a plan, and order a SIM or eSIM. Service blends community 5G coverage with Helium's carrier partner.
Step 3: To run a hotspot, purchase an approved IoT hotspot (Bobcat, RAK, etc.) or a MOBILE-compatible small cell, plug it in, onboard it through the Helium Wallet app, and start earning subnetwork tokens.
Step 4: To participate in governance, hold HNT or its locked variants (veHNT, veMOBILE, veIOT) and vote on Helium Improvement Proposals (HIPs) in the Helium DAO.

How to Get a Helium Wallet?

HNT, MOBILE, and IOT are SPL tokens on Solana. Several wallets support them:

Helium Wallet

The official Helium Wallet (mobile and browser extension) is the most full-featured option. It supports HNT, MOBILE, IOT, hotspot management, staking, and voting on governance proposals.

Phantom

Phantom is the most popular Solana wallet and supports HNT and the subnetwork tokens out of the box. It is a good choice if you already use Solana DeFi.

Solflare

Solflare is another widely used Solana wallet with strong staking and hardware-wallet integrations. It supports HNT and the Helium subnetwork tokens.

Hardware Wallets

Ledger devices support Solana SPL tokens via the Solana Ledger app and can be paired with the Helium Wallet, Phantom, or Solflare to keep keys offline for larger balances.

Helium Resources

How to Buy Helium?

HNT is listed on most major centralized and decentralized venues. MOBILE and IOT are typically obtained by running a hotspot, but are also available on some venues:

Centralized Exchanges

HNT is available on Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, Bybit, OKX, KuCoin, Bitget, Gate, and others. Common pairs include HNT/USDT, HNT/USDC, and HNT/BTC.

Decentralized Exchanges

HNT, MOBILE, and IOT can be traded on Solana DEXs such as Jupiter, Orca, and Raydium. Jupiter is the standard aggregator and routes across the deepest pools automatically.

After purchase, HNT can be held in the Helium Wallet to vote, locked as veHNT for higher governance weight, or converted to subnetwork tokens for use within the IoT or MOBILE economies.

Latest Helium News

The most consequential recent development for Helium was the completion of its migration to Solana in April 2023 and the launch of Helium Mobile as a consumer 5G service in the United States. Helium Mobile has aggressively grown its subscriber base with low-cost unlimited plans, and the MOBILE subnetwork has expanded community-deployed small cell coverage in major cities.

The Helium DAO has continued to ship HIPs that adjust the emissions schedule, refine proof-of-coverage and proof-of-data-transfer logic, and onboard new subnetworks. As with any DePIN, the long-term thesis depends on real, paid usage of the underlying network; following the Helium blog, governance forum, and Helium Mobile metrics is the best way to gauge progress.