What is Helium (HNT)?

Deep Dive

1. Purpose & Value Proposition

Helium flips traditional telecom by enabling individuals to deploy hotspots (mini cell towers) that provide wireless coverage for IoT devices and mobile users. Participants earn HNT for expanding coverage, while enterprises and consumers pay in HNT to use the network. This model challenges the $3 trillion telecom industry by decentralizing ownership and reducing costs.

2. Technology & Architecture

The network operates as a DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network), leveraging blockchain to coordinate hotspot operators. After migrating to Solana in 2023, HNT became an SPL token, benefiting from faster transactions and lower fees. Hotspots use Proof-of-Coverage to validate wireless service quality, ensuring reliability without centralized oversight.

3. Tokenomics & Governance

• Fixed Supply: Capped at 223M HNT, with emissions halved every two years (last halving: August 2025).
• Burn Mechanism: Using the network converts HNT into Data Credits (burned permanently), tying demand to deflation.
• Staking: Locking HNT grants veHNT (voting power), used to direct rewards to IoT or Mobile sub-networks and approve governance proposals.

Conclusion

Helium reimagines connectivity as a community-owned utility, incentivizing global infrastructure growth through HNT’s burn-and-reward mechanics. With real-world adoption via carriers like AT&T and Solana’s scalability, could its tokenomics bridge Web3 and mainstream telecom?