TL;DR
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the Helium network started as a low bandwidth wifi network for internet connected fridges, washing machines, toasters etc. which was a complex solution for a non-existent problem.
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Since then, the folks behind Helium have pivoted, and are doing something kind of interesting with their technology.
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The team is building out a decentralized 5G mobile data network, which costs $5 a month for unlimited talk, text, and data – where available*.
Full Story
Just because your initial idea was a stinker, doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed.
For example:
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YouTube was originally a video dating site
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AirBnb used to force its hosts to sleep guests on air mattresses (even if a normal bed was available)
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Instagram was initially just an app that geo-tagged bars that served fine bourbon whiskey (seriously!)
…and the Helium network started as a low bandwidth wifi network for internet connected fridges, washing machines, toasters etc.
The idea was that people would share their home wifi data with others in their area, in order to connect niche internet connected devices.
It was a complex solution for a non-existent problem.
But that was then. Since then, the folks behind Helium have pivoted, and are doing something kind of interesting with their technology.
The team is building out a decentralized 5G mobile data network, which costs $5 a month for unlimited talk, text, and data – where available*.
(*Which is nowhere outside of Miami right now…but it’s still early days yet).
Here’s the good, the bad, and the ‘oh, that’s kinda cool!’ of it all…
The good: five bucks for unlimited talk, text, and data with no lock in contracts, no going into a store, no talking to customer service agents – just *bleep bloop bleep* and you have service?
That’s a silky smooth user experience right there! (One we’d absolutely love to use when traveling).
The bad: most people already have a phone plan. Switching to an open network that may or may not work, depending on what city/locale you’re in?
That stinks.
In almost all cases, we’d happily go through a traditional carrier, just for the peace of mind.
The ‘oh, that’s kinda cool!’: if you have an existing carrier plan – the goal is that in the future, you’ll be able to share your unused data to the Helium network and get paid for it in crypto.
(Which would kind of be like if you left your iPhone’s ‘Personal hotspot’ feature open and got paid each time someone used it).
…is all of this enough to convince consumers to change their behavior?
Probably not.
