Helium (HNTUSD) is a decentralized blockchain network that powers wireless connectivity for Internet of Things (IoT) devices and mobile communications. Unlike traditional telecom infrastructure owned by corporations, Helium flips the model by allowing individuals to build and operate the network infrastructure themselves.
The network operates through physical devices called “Hotspots” that users deploy to provide wireless coverage. These Hotspots act as miniature cell towers. Hence, Helium creates a people-powered wireless network that operates globally. In return for providing coverage, Hotspot operators earn rewards in HNT, the network’s native token. Helium’s Proof of Coverage (PoC) validates Hotspots.
The project is very unique, but the vision hasn’t paid off fully just yet. HNT was launched in 2019, and the crypto peaked in late 2021 before declining significantly. It has seen some renewed interest in 2023 and late 2024, but this was small compared to the initial surge.
How Helium Is Being Overhauled
Helium underwent its third halving earlier in August 2025. This is similar to Bitcoin’s (BTCUSD) halving event, but instead of miners, hotspot owners had their rewards halved. The nature of this project does not allow for mining. Instead, the only way to get more HNT other than buying it is by operating your own Hotspot. Helium cut its daily HNT emissions from 15 million to 7.5 million tokens annually on Aug. 1. On the same day, there was a mandatory governance reset, where all veHNT stakers had to redelegate their tokens to continue earning from the 6% HNT emission pool.
Earlier, updates in July 2025 allowed businesses to join the network using existing Wi-Fi routers. Plus, the Helium Foundation pledged $50 million in grants for more hotspots across high-traffic cities. In April, updates revised reward multipliers under HIP 103 and reduced incentives for low-traffic “C” areas from 0.03-0.4 down to just 0.03. Taken together, Helium is making clear that its new strategy will place much greater emphasis on city coverage.
The project migrated its blockchain to Solana (SOLUSD) back in April 2023 to reduce latency for better data transfer, as its original blockchain was unable to keep up with the traffic. The network has already shifted to a Light Hotspots model to reduce data transfer requirements.
All of these steps have led to the project seeing an uptick in data. Helium posted 2,721 TB of data being offloaded from major U.S. mobile carriers, which was a 138.5% increase quarter-over-quarter. Helium Mobile accounts surged 94.1% to over 311,200 users.
Is HNT Setting Up for a Breakout?
Several catalysts are lining up, and the upgrades could supercharge the growth here. The triple-digit increase in sequential data offloading shows there’s more traffic coming to Helium.
Use cases are still expanding to involve 5G devices and broaden the market. Helium already has partnerships with major carriers.
Alongside these fundamentals, technicals are also being reshuffled to drive more growth. The halving cut token issuance by 50%, and most cryptos tend to rally within a few months of a halving event.
But will Helium become a mainstream crypto project? Likely not. I still see it preparing for a breakout, as the tokenomics are much more favorable for long-term holders. It doesn’t have to be mainstream for it to deliver juicy gains, as the market capitalization remains in the hundreds of millions.
Time to Buy HNT?
This is one of the few cryptos with real-world utility, regardless of how niche. Many other crypto projects of its size have fizzled out within a cycle, but Helium has maintained a surprisingly decent amount of coverage in major cities.
Given that development is picking up and HNT is hitting the headlines again, this cycle could lead to multibagger gains. An altseason is on the horizon, and continued upgrades will set Helium up for performance similar to that of 2024, where it peaked at over $9.50 in February. $5 by year-end is more realistic if current trends continue.
