Let me take you on a whirlwind journey with Helium, where there's always something brewing, even during a hurricane! Picture this: while Hurricane Helene was unleashing its fury, a little hero in the form of Helium hotspots stood firm, keeping North Carolina connected with 5G coverage and distributing emergency kits. Talk about being a beacon in the storm!
Now, let's dive into the numbers game. Helium’s native token, HNT, took a bit of a tumble in the fourth quarter, with its market cap slipping from $1.3 billion to $1.0 billion and the token price dipping from $7.54 to $5.88. But hey, even in stormy markets, the Helium network is expanding like a balloon on a mission!
Helium Mobile is climbing the hotspot ladder with a 14% increase, reaching 24,800 hotspots. And guess what? Their unlimited plans are a steal compared to the typical US telecom giants. Plus, they're rewarding users with their Discovery Mapping feature, where you earn for sharing location data. The catch? They're shifting these rewards to Cloud Points, so keep an eye out for the Q1 scoop!
Back to the stormy tale, Helium Mobile proved its worth during Hurricane Helene. While some folks were left without power and water, Helium hotspots kept the 5G vibes alive and even handed out emergency kits with Starlink devices. Talk about playing the hero card!
On the IoT front, Helium's network is expanding like wildfire, with a 20% growth in Q4. Since their move to Solana, they've onboarded 33,000 new hotspots, many thanks to the gaming community. That brings the total to a whopping 375,000! But here's the kicker: while the infrastructure is booming, demand hasn't quite caught up yet.
Despite the challenges, Helium is deploying its LoRaWAN connectivity like a boss. Yet, significant network demand remains a work in progress, with daily DC burns hovering around a few hundred bucks.
Now, for some juicy flashbacks! Once upon a time, Helium's founders were accused of pocketing a hefty chunk of early token rewards. And, let's not forget the drama with Lime and Salesforce. Lime's relationship turned out to be a brief 2019 test, and Salesforce? They denied any partnership, leading Helium to wipe their logos clean.
So there you have it, the Helium saga, full of ups, downs, and a sprinkle of controversy. With storms weathered and networks growing, who knows what the next chapter holds for Helium? Stay tuned!
