This page has not been fully updated to represent the latest state of the HeliumNetwork following the migration to Solana on April18,2023.
Founding and Early Vision
The Helium Network was founded in 2013 by Amir Haleem, Shawn Fanning, and Sean Carey. The foundersenvisioned creating a decentralized wireless infrastructure that could support the rapidly growingIoT industry. They aimed to lower the barriers to entry for IoT connectivity by creating apeople-powered network, driven by economic incentives.
Launch of the Helium Hotspot
In 2019, Helium launched its flagship product, the Helium Hotspot. This device allowed users toprovide wireless coverage for IoT devices over a new protocol called LongFi, which combined thelong-range capabilities of LoRaWAN with the Helium blockchain. Early adopters started deployingHotspots to earn HNT tokens as a reward for providing network coverage.
Expansion and Adoption
As more Hotspots were deployed across the globe, the Helium Network continued to grow, attractinginterest from developers, companies, and individual users. The Helium Network expanded its coverageto various countries, enabling new use cases and further solidifying its position as a decentralizedwireless infrastructure provider.
Transition to Solana Blockchain
To improve scalability, security, and decentralization, the Helium Network migrated to the Solanablockchain. This transition allowed Helium to leverage the high-performance capabilities of Solana,which was crucial for supporting the increasing number of network participants and transactions.
Introduction of Subnetworks and New Tokens
As the Helium Network matured, it diversified its offerings by introducing subnetworks for differentwireless technologies, such as LoRaWAN and 5G. These subnetworks employed their own tokens, IOT andMOBILE, and used the unique Proof-of-Coverage consensus algorithm to reward participants for networkcoverage.
Present and Future
Today, the Helium Network is a rapidly growing decentralized wireless infrastructure with a globalfootprint. It continues to attract new users, developers, and organizations, paving the way forinnovative applications and services. As the Network expands, it aims to revolutionize the wirelesscommunication landscape and further democratize access to connectivity.
