if you're confused re: the Helium Mobile acquisition:
Helium Mobile = a cell carrier like AT&T or Mint Mobile. Helium Mobile uses the Helium Network for coverage - but so do AT&T/T-Mobile. it's just a cell carrier
nothing changes with solana:hntyVP6YFm1Hg25TN9WGLqM12b8TQmcknKrdu1oxWux or the Helium Network
I hate “some personal news” tweets, but, some personal news
after 13 years running Helium, I let the team know a couple of months ago that I am stepping down as CEO and moving into the chairman role. @didiomario is taking over. this is the right moment to do it, and he is without question the right person to lead what comes next
when we started, the idea was simple even if outrageous at the time. let anyone build and own the wireless infrastructure the world runs on and flip a century old model where carriers own and profit from the whole thing. now we have millions of people connecting through Helium every day, and an entirely new category, DePIN, has been created. and that's thanks to tens of thousands of people who deployed, built, and grew the network
Mario has been running the network side of the business for years. he understands the carriers, the tech, and the size of the opportunity better than anyone. I'm proud of how far Helium has come, but even more excited about where he’ll take it. Helium has become a platform any carrier in the world can build on with real global expansion happening
I'm not going anywhere. I’m still holding solana:hntyVP6YFm1Hg25TN9WGLqM12b8TQmcknKrdu1oxWux and I’ll still be very active as chairman. but Mario is in the driver's seat which is what's right for Helium now and for the next era ahead. the goal never changed: more of the world running on infrastructure built and owned by the people
there's also a live space going on now with Mario discussing the upcoming roadmap https://t.co/48YkS1vCHu
LFG solana:hntyVP6YFm1Hg25TN9WGLqM12b8TQmcknKrdu1oxWux 🚀
if you're confused re: the Helium Mobile acquisition:
Helium Mobile = a cell carrier like AT&T or Mint Mobile. Helium Mobile uses the Helium Network for coverage - but so do AT&T/T-Mobile. it's just a cell carrier
nothing changes with solana:hntyVP6YFm1Hg25TN9WGLqM12b8TQmcknKrdu1oxWux or the Helium Network
PSA: @helium_mobile is an MVNO, a consumer cellular product. subscribers pay in fiat currency and get a phone number, a SIM card, etc
the @helium Network is a network of community owned Hotspots that serve cellular traffic for multiple carriers including AT&T, Telefonica, and also Helium Mobile. Hotspot operators get paid in $HNT burned by the carriers for that traffic
Helium Mobile got sold. @helium and $HNT is now our only focus. there is no longer any confusion between value accruing to equity holders or token holders. it's all $HNT
also, still live on @solana 🙌
Month on Month $HNT deflation is accelerating wildly. Since network inception, we've lost over 3.5% of the max HNT supply (7.89M total). The bigger deal is that ~4.5M of that 7.89M was burned in the last 7 months alone.
https://t.co/OGNorpgfBd
In case you missed, @helium is cooking. $HNT network revenue is up 4x since mid last year and token burns meaningfully exceed network emissions.
The price where burns equals emissions (net 0 emissions) is $2.21, 48% higher than the current price of $1.49. And one could argue with a network growing at this pace it could trade much higher factoring in future network cash flows. Just a thought.
In case you missed, @helium is cooking. $HNT network revenue is up 4x since mid last year and token burns meaningfully exceed network emissions.
The price where burns equals emissions (net 0 emissions) is $2.21, 48% higher than the current price of $1.49. And one could argue with a network growing at this pace it could trade much higher factoring in future network cash flows. Just a thought.
obviously the crypto market across the board is...not good. but the things that we can control are going incredibly well and exceeding our expectations
one thing that is somewhat undiscussed in the report is how we internally think about @helium_mobile vs @helium - to be incredibly blunt, there is no way that HM can be successful without Helium. MVNO's are notoriously low margin high difficulty businesses - we have absolutely no interest in trying to replicate Mint Mobile, Boost, or any of the others out there
what we *are* building towards is a carrier that can stand on its own, with minimal or no dependence on a coverage partner. it will only be possible to do this if Helium gets big (really big), if HNT is the currency of connectivity, and if HM subs predominantly use Helium vs a partner. today that number is around 19% of all HM subscriber data, and our mission in 2026 is to increase that substantially. more HM data = more HNT bought and burned
the @blockworks dashboard does an incredible job of getting into the details about how Helium and HNT are doing, and I'm glad this kind of IR work is getting done and shared with everyone 🫡
Just read the State of DePIN 2025 report by @MessariCrypto .
It clearly supports the point I’ve been making for a long time.
Yes, prices are ugly.
Most tokens are down 90%+ from highs. But that's the trap.
The gap between perception and reality is wild.
Perception:
DePIN is dying
Reality:
• $10B sector
• $72M onchain revenue
• Supply constrained networks
• Real users, real payments
People judge DePIN with a 2021 mindset: pre-revenue, heavy inflation, speculation driven.
Two examples that prove it:
@helium : Millions of daily users through carrier partnerships. Your phone is probably using their network right now without you knowing.
@GEODNET : Centimeter-level GPS for agriculture and robotics. Paying enterprise customers. Revenue directly burns tokens.
These aren't crypto experiments anymore.
They're infrastructure companies with crypto rails.
The report is honest about the physics:
You can't build infrastructure without capital.
Only 3 paths survive:
1. InfraFi with stablecoin capital
2. Capex-light networks that monetize fast
3. Perfect bull market timing
DePIN isn't dying.
It's maturing.
And the market still hasn't figured that out.
What's your take on DePIN's future?
now that some dust has settled and I've gotten a lot of feedback, I wanted to follow up on this tweet with a few thoughts:
- we're always still going to buy back HNT and burn it with revenue we receive from carriers, that will never stop. this is not our money to spend, we are just an intermediary for carriers and partners who don't want to deal with tokens and on-chain things
- saw a lot of "well if you think buying HNT is a waste of money why would I do it" - the difference there is that we were buying *and* burning. we never get to see the benefit of any value accrual that way. you do. possible that simply buying and holding is the right strategy instead, we'll evaluate that
- i think it's important in our position to experiment. and experiment a lot. i should have phrased both the start and stopping of using Helium Mobile revenue - the separate MVNO - as an experiment not a policy. we are still an early stage growth company, and that comes with a lot of twists and turns as we learn (and make mistakes)
there are still issues for companies like ours in figuring out how to navigate growing the Helium Mobile business, as well as making sure token holders see enough value. the original plan was that was the Helium Mobile and the Helium network are very symbiotic. the more HM can use Helium the cheaper it is for us, and the more HM revenue flows directly to HNT holders
the downside is that this is a long process - we're at about 40% use in NYC, but it took *a lot* of time and money to get there. we plan on engage the same strategy in more cities asap. around 5% of Helium network traffic comes from Helium Mobile right now. it's happening, just over a long horizon
meanwhile the Helium network usage is skyrocketing, as is the amount of HNT burned. 2M DAU used to feel like a long term target, now it's a regular occurrence. carriers and venues are hungry for indoor solutions, and we've built a pretty massive technology stack that enables it to work seamlessly for users, and for operators to get a ton of real-time data back about the experience
I only expect this to keep growing from here with more venues, more carriers, and more opportunities. I want the Helium network to be self-serve enough that any MNO or MVNO can grab a certificate themselves and integrate it into their SIM or app to start using the network with or without our assistance
we are still keen to hear thoughts and learn from others who are navigating similar crossroads with dual business/token models, and as the regulatory environment evolves I think we will see more options and more solutions. i'd love more feedback from people on ideas. some great thoughts from @DavidVorick and others so far
it's been a long road, yet still feels very early. and usage is just up up and up 📈
The good news here is that Helium and our community has spent the last three years becoming experts at deploying mobile networks for enterprises and SMBs.
And that's why retrofitting Wi-Fi for indoor coverage is more cost effective solution, especially when paired with quality of service metrics that can be used in real-time to determine offload opportunities.
@helium is well positioned to take advantage of the trend.
https://t.co/MYdYYeYE1e
Helium isn’t just another crypto token it’s a full DePIN network built around real world usage.
They’ve simplified their token system by focusing rewards back on HNT and prioritizing actual data activity over just network coverage. IoT devices, 5G hotspots, mobile data offload everything now feeds into a single ecosystem where real usage creates real value.
With new telecom partnerships and a move to Solana, Helium is gradually becoming a decentralized alternative to traditional wireless networks.
Here’s how people can benefit:
▪️Network contribution: Set up IoT or mobile hotspots, expand coverage, and earn HNT.
▪️Network growth: More devices and genuine data usage make the network stronger, increasing long-term value for contributors.
▪️Community-powered infrastructure: Active participants directly share in the network’s success, turning involvement into tangible rewards.
▪️The big picture is simple: a community-driven network, powered by real usage, delivering sustainable rewards.
@helium@abhay@amirhaleem@keenan_hnt@heliumbuilders
the whole crypto market melting and $HNT just like, “fuck no, i’ve got a real network to run”
fyi, this is exactly what real world demand looks like onchain.
$HNT: the only coin that shows up to work.