The Helium Network is a decentralized wireless

Internet of things The Internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other com ...

(IoT) network using the

LoRaWAN Lora is a female given name and family name in the Spanish language of French origin meaning from Lorraine, a region in Northeastern France. As a given name, Lora may also be a variant of Laura or derived from an Italian hypocoristic of either ...

system, tied to the cryptocurrency Helium Network Token (symbol HNT). Nodes on the network are generally owned and placed by individuals in their homes or offices, and they are rewarded for their participation in the network in payments of HNT. The network aims to provide connectivity to IoT sensor devices in areas, where wireless or mobile coverage is minimal, or requires too much power. Helium Network is owned by Nova Labs, Inc. As of 2025, Amir Haleem is the founder and CEO of Nova Labs.

History

The Helium Network was begun by Helium, Inc. in 2013, as a network of

LoRa Lora is a female given name and family name in the Spanish language of French origin meaning from Lorraine, a region in Northeastern France. As a given name, Lora may also be a variant of Laura or derived from an Italian hypocoristic of either ...

gateway hotspots which could be deployed throughout an area by agreements with building owners, typically paid in conventional currency. In 2017, the company's funds were running low, so it switched to a new strategy: offering individuals payment in cryptocurrency to operate individually owned nodes in their homes or offices. These individually owned nodes are purchased at costs of up to $500 each, and the payments to owners vary based on data usage but can be as low as $.10 a month. Hotspot operators would also have a vote in the operation of the network. In 2021, Helium partnered with

Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV ...

to deploy thousands of Helium hotspots across Dish's nationwide cellular network, further expanding Helium's reach. In March 2022, Helium Inc. rebranded to Nova Labs Inc. and raised $200million in a funding round led by

Tiger Global Management Tiger Global Management, LLC (often referred to as Tiger Global and formerly known as Tiger Technology) is an American investment firm. It mainly focuses on Internet, software, consumer, and financial technology industries. Background and histo ...

and

Andreessen Horowitz Andreessen Horowitz (also called a16z, legal name AH Capital Management, LLC) is a private American venture capital firm, founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. The company is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Andreessen H ...

. In August 2022, Helium integrated with the

5G network In telecommunications, 5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, which cellular phone companies began deploying worldwide in 2019, and is the planned successor to the 4G networks which provide connectiv ...

. Helium 5G utilizes a decentralized approach, building a cellular network powered by Helium Hotspots equipped with 5G radios. These hotspots, deployed by individuals or businesses, provide local coverage and relay data within the network. Reports in July 2022 alleged that Helium falsely had claimed

Lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

and

Salesforce Salesforce, Inc. is an American Cloud computing, cloud-based software company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It provides customer relationship management (CRM) software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketi ...

as two of their major customers for years, despite neither company having a formal relationship with Helium or using the network. Nova Labs CEO Amir Haleem has disputed these claims.

Litigation

On Jan 17 2025, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint against Nova Labs Inc., a company that developing the Helium Network, alleging that the company raised “millions of dollars from investors through its unregistered sales of securities in the form of “Hotspots” electronic devices that “mine” one of three Nova Labs crypto assets.” The lawsuit also alleged that Nova Labs misled investors regarding multiple high-profile partnerships. On April 10, 2025 the SEC agreed to dismiss unregistered security claims and Nova Labs chose to resolve the case efficiently by agreeing to a $200,000 no admit/no deny settlement tied to its Series D equity financing.

References

External links

* {{Cryptocurrencies, state=expanded 2018 establishments Internet of things companies Cryptocurrency projects Currencies introduced in 2018

History

Litigation

See also

References

External links