Product Keynote: Helium

Helium's decentralized wireless network has quietly become one of crypto's biggest real-world success stories, connecting over 2 million phones daily without users even knowing blockchain technology is involved. At Breakpoint 2025, Helium's Abhay Kumar revealed the network has reached a critical milestone: HNT has become net deflationary, with more tokens being burned than emitted each day.

Summary

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The Helium network, which operates on Solana, has evolved from its origins as an IoT network in 2019 into a full-fledged mobile connectivity provider that major carriers like AT&T now rely upon. The network's 120,000 hotspots are transferring terabytes of data daily to 2.1 million unique devices, marking a fundamental shift in how wireless coverage can be deployed and monetized.

What makes Helium's approach revolutionary is its ability to leverage existing infrastructure. Venues like airports, casinos, and shopping malls can integrate their existing Wi-Fi networks into Helium with minimal software changes, instantly providing connectivity to any compatible subscriber who walks through the door. This eliminates the traditional friction of captive portals and password sharing, using the SIM card already in users' phones as their identity.

Helium Mobile, the network's native carrier, has grown to over 500,000 subscribers, up from tens of thousands at the start of the year. The company achieved this growth by deliberately hiding the crypto mechanics from end users, allowing people to sign up for free, $15, or $30 monthly phone plans using traditional payment methods. This strategy of being "crypto-enabled" rather than a "crypto product" has proven essential for reaching mainstream adoption.

Key Points

Bring Your Own Hotspot: Transforming Existing Infrastructure

One of Helium's most significant developments this year has been enabling existing Wi-Fi infrastructure to join the network without installing new hardware. Venues that already have Wi-Fi deployed, from sports arenas to airports, can add their coverage to Helium through a simple software change. This dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for deployment and accelerates network growth.

Major deployments already demonstrate this capability. Baltimore Airport (referenced as "Parrot" in the presentation) automatically connects AT&T and Helium Mobile subscribers when they arrive, without requiring any action from passengers. The Fontainebleau casino in Las Vegas and a Florida mall represent similar large-scale integrations. These implementations show how Helium can scale rapidly by leveraging the billions of dollars already invested in venue Wi-Fi infrastructure.

The Invisible Crypto Success Story

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Helium's growth is that the vast majority of users have no idea they're using a blockchain-based network. The 2.1 million phones connecting daily include subscribers from major carriers like AT&T who simply experience seamless connectivity. This represents a mature approach to blockchain application, where the technology serves as invisible infrastructure rather than a consumer-facing feature.

Helium Mobile's own growth strategy deliberately removed cryptocurrency from the user interface. Subscribers sign up using familiar web and mobile flows, pay in traditional currency, and receive a phone plan that works like any other carrier. The crypto mechanics, including HNT rewards for deployers and the token economics underlying the network, operate entirely behind the scenes.

Net Deflationary Tokenomics

A watershed moment for Helium occurred in the three months leading up to Breakpoint: HNT became net deflationary. This means more HNT tokens are being burned through network usage than are being created through emission schedules. This economic milestone demonstrates genuine product-market fit, as the network's utility now generates sufficient demand to outpace the inflationary supply.

Deployers who contribute coverage to the network receive HNT rewards when data transfers occur on their infrastructure. The new system allows carriers to immediately assess quality of service when new hardware comes online, while deployers can start earning rewards faster. This creates a virtuous cycle where more coverage leads to more usage, which leads to more rewards, incentivizing further deployment.

Global Expansion: Mexico and Brazil

Helium announced aggressive international expansion plans, with Mexico in final technical integration stages and expected to launch within weeks. The company also revealed a partnership with Mambo in Brazil, where 40,000 existing hotspots are ready to be enabled for Helium coverage. This represents a significant step toward becoming a truly global decentralized wireless network.

The Brazil announcement is particularly notable given the country's large population and mobile phone penetration. Kumar's appearance in Brazil-themed attire, while playfully noting it wasn't about the upcoming World Cup, underscored the strategic importance of this market. The company is also soliciting requests from other countries through Helium.com/waitlist.

Facts + Figures

• 2.1 million phones connect to the Helium network every single day
• The network operates with 120,000 hotspots, including venues that function as single large deployments
• Helium Mobile has grown to over 500,000 subscribers, up from tens of thousands at the start of 2025
• HNT has achieved net deflationary status in the past three months, with more tokens burned than emitted daily
• Major deployments include Baltimore Airport, Fontainebleau casino in Las Vegas, and a mall in Florida
• Helium Mobile offers plans at free, $15/month, and $30/month price points
• The network transfers terabytes of data daily
• 40,000 hotspots in Brazil are ready to be enabled through the Mambo partnership
• Mexico launch is expected within weeks, pending final technical integration
• The Helium network originally launched in 2019 as an IoT network before expanding to mobile

Top Quotes

• "When you walk around the world, you shouldn't have to ask for the Wi-Fi password. You should just be able to connect."

• "These folks have no idea that this is enabled by a crypto network. What's incredible about this is it's just providing them great connectivity. They don't need to think about this."

• "How do you be more of a crypto-enabled product and less of just a crypto product? Because this is how you get to scale."

• "HNT has become net deflationary. That means that there's more HNT being burned every single day than being emitted."

• "You have everything you need in your pocket already. You have a SIM. That SIM is your identity. That identity should be enough to connect anywhere you go."

• "We think we're just getting started here."

• "Every time data gets transferred on the Helium network, you are paid."

Questions Answered

How does Helium work without users knowing about crypto?

Helium has deliberately designed its consumer-facing products to hide blockchain complexity from end users. When an AT&T subscriber walks into Baltimore Airport, their phone automatically connects to Helium-powered Wi-Fi without any crypto interaction. Similarly, Helium Mobile subscribers sign up through a standard process, pay in traditional currency, and use their phones normally. The blockchain handles backend operations like rewarding deployers and managing network economics, but users only experience seamless connectivity.

What does it mean that HNT is net deflationary?

Net deflationary means more HNT tokens are being destroyed (burned) through network usage than are being created through scheduled emissions. This represents a critical economic milestone for the network, indicating that real utility demand now exceeds the inflationary supply of new tokens. When carriers and users pay for data transfer on the network, HNT gets burned, and this burn rate has surpassed the rate at which new HNT is created.

Can existing Wi-Fi infrastructure join the Helium network?

Yes, and this has been one of Helium's major focuses in 2025. Venues with existing Wi-Fi deployments can join the Helium network through software changes without installing new hardware. This "Bring Your Own Hotspot" capability allows airports, casinos, malls, and arenas to monetize their existing infrastructure while providing seamless connectivity to compatible subscribers. This dramatically accelerates network deployment since it leverages billions of dollars of existing infrastructure investment.

How do deployers earn money on Helium?

Deployers earn HNT tokens whenever data is transferred through their coverage. This could be a home router converted into a hotspot or an entire venue's Wi-Fi infrastructure. The new system allows deployers to start earning rewards immediately once their equipment is onboarded, and carriers can assess quality of service in real-time. Every megabyte of data transferred means payment for the person providing that coverage.

Where is Helium expanding internationally?

Helium is launching in Mexico within the coming weeks, with technical integration in its final stages. The company also announced a major partnership with Mambo in Brazil, where 40,000 existing hotspots are ready to be enabled for Helium coverage. These expansions represent Helium's first major moves outside the United States, and the company is actively soliciting interest from other countries through their waitlist at Helium.com/waitlist.

How big is Helium Mobile compared to traditional carriers?

Helium Mobile has grown to over 500,000 subscribers in 2025, growing from tens of thousands at the start of the year. While this is still small compared to major carriers like AT&T or Verizon, the growth trajectory is significant. More importantly, Helium's network serves subscribers from major carriers as well, with 2.1 million total phones connecting daily across all carrier partnerships.