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- AT&T partners with Helium to boost mobile connectivity using over 93,000 decentralized wireless hotspots for broader coverage.
- Helium’s HNT token rewards hotspot operators, maintaining a decentralized model while aiding AT&T’s network performance and data analysis.
Helium, a blockchain-based wireless network, has partnered with one of the leading telecom companies, AT&T. The Helium tie with AT&T comes with the ambition of much-improved mobile connectivity. The integration allows AT&T users to have seamless connectivity through Helium’s vast networks of wireless hotspots spread across various locations.
Big news! @ATT subscribers can now connect to the people-powered Helium Network across America. 🇺🇸🎈
By leveraging Helium’s decentralized network, AT&T is expanding coverage to thousands of new locations, built and powered by individuals across the U.S.
AT&T is also becoming an… pic.twitter.com/PilKzjwoR6
— Helium🎈 (@helium) April 24, 2025
These hotspots operate similarly to compact cell towers, expanding wireless connectivity to cover urban areas and remote rural regions. AT&T customers will automatically connect to Helium’s network when in proximity, boosting coverage quality significantly without additional effort from subscribers.
Currently, Helium manages over 93,000 active hotspots across the globe. These installations serve to enhance existing cellular network capacity, addressing gaps in connectivity and ensuring robust coverage, particularly in underserved areas, thus complementing traditional telecom infrastructure effectively.
Partnership Bolsters Decentralized Wireless Model
Under the new arrangement, AT&T will utilize data from Helium’s decentralized network to better assess and enhance service quality. Timothy Tweedle, Principal Interconnection Agreements Manager at AT&T Mobility, emphasized that the collaboration assists AT&T in providing improved connectivity options to its users on the go.
The strategic cooperation does not alter Helium’s fundamental decentralized approach. Owners and operators of the hotspots will still be compensated in Helium’s native cryptocurrency token, HNT, rather than direct financial rewards from AT&T. Payment rates are determined by the volume of data processed through each individual hotspot.
This decentralized reward system, running on the Solana blockchain, incentivizes both businesses and private individuals to deploy these miniature cell towers. Such deployment is crucial to broadening coverage availability, thereby creating more robust connectivity solutions accessible to an extensive user base.
Significant Regulatory Approval Boosts Helium’s Standing
Recently, Helium also achieved crucial regulatory success. Earlier this month, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped its lawsuit against Nova Labs, Helium’s parent entity. The SEC clarified that tokens such as HNT, MOBILE, and IoT issued by the network are not classified as securities.
Helium Mobile CEO and co-founder Amir Haleem celebrated the partnership’s potential for accelerating widespread adoption. He commented:
Working with AT&T is a massive step forward in our mission to bring affordable and accessible connectivity to the masses. Teaming up with such a global leader in the industry allows us to rapidly accelerate the adoption of Helium and provide real-world value to both AT&T and their subscribers.
Established in 2013, Helium has attracted substantial investment exceeding $300 million from prominent investors, including Andreessen Horowitz and Tiger Global. Previously, Helium collaborated with Telefónica to extend wireless services within Mexico, and it currently provides its U.S. service, partly backed by T-Mobile’s 5G infrastructure.
