Did This Web3 Product Just Become Easier/Cheaper to Use Than Its Web2 Competitors? (Is that even allowed?)

TL;DR

• The crypto powered Helium Mobile network just announced that it was expanding nationwide in the US.

• We use blockchain products all the time! But that’s usually because there’s no pre-existing Web2 equivalent that got its hooks into us first.

• Helium is somehow cheaper than the competition and can fall back on the T-mobile (which Chevy is already paying $55 p/m to access).

Full Story

This might be a first…

A Web3 product that beats its Web2 competitor on ease-of-use and cost (?)

The crypto powered Helium Mobile network just announced that it was expanding nationwide in the US.

The deal they’re pitching is:

• BYO phone.

• No contract.

• Unlimited talk, text and data for $20 per month.

• The network piggybacks off T-mobile’s network if there isn’t access to the decentralized data network.

The reason this article is being written under ‘🔎 This seems important’ is because this is the first time a crypto product has made us want to:

1. Change our pre-existing behavior.

2. Make the jump from a well established Web2 service.

Sure, we use blockchain products all the time! But that’s usually because there’s no pre-existing Web2 equivalent that got its hooks into us first.

(E.g. Using a self-custody wallet to buy NFTs is a ‘Web3 only’ kinda thing).

Here’s why this is getting us all giddy:

Chevy’s currently paying $55 USD per month on T-mobile, the cheaper (Web2) options available to him are:

• Tello, unlimited talk/text/data for $25 pm w no contract.

• Mint Mobile, unlimited talk/text/data for $30 pm w contract.

• Visible (Verizon’s cheap young person network), unlimited talk/text/data for $25 pm w contract.

Of the three, Tello gets the closest to matching Helium’s deal (it only misses on price, by $5).

But that’s the crazy part:

When using blockchain products, we tend to assume they’re not going to play nice with Web2 networks and will probably incur higher fees.

Helium is somehow cheaper than the competition and can fall back on the T-mobile (which Chevy is already paying $55 p/m to access).

Wild!