Helium’s Network Evolution: From Unique Blockchain to Solana
When Helium first started working on creating their network in 2017, they relied on their own unique blockchain which presented some quirks and challenges as it grew.
Helium originally allowed any user’s hotspot to be part of the consensus group that worked to confirm the state of data on the chain, making the network completely decentralized. However, this design led to issues as the network grew. For instance, most hotspots were in private homes, with a traditional internet service provider backing up their coverage. This meant that whenever a large ISP experienced a service outage, there was a chance that the whole network would get held up.
The community voted to fix the problem, foresaw tougher problems when the company turned its gaze onto becoming a “network of networks” — offering access to 5G nodes to improve the existing cellular coverage of big telecom companies — in 2021.
Challenges of Growing a Decentralized Network
“5G scalability is something that is difficult for all of the incumbent telcos, and the idea that they could roam onto a community-built network to plug in those gaps of coverage is very, very compelling to them,” says Sigel.
However, supporting multiple wireless standards and multiple tokens was going to be a lot for their chain to handle.
A New Path Forward with Solana
Once the community had created a list of non-negotiables — a large developer network to help spread the workload, composability, more token utility, and a smart contract platform — Solana quickly became the obvious choice.
The Helium Foundation put a migration to Solana to a community vote, and the community approved it by an overwhelming margin.
Migrating to Solana
Helium joined the Solana network by minting each hotspot as an NFT — a process made possible by the recent release of state compression. Minting a compressed NFT costs fractions of a penny on the dollar compared to an uncompressed token.
The NFTs act as credentials, verify authenticity, and provide data for developers. They also enable token-gated experiences.
“Compressed NFTs made the migration more economically viable by several orders of magnitude,” Sigel says. “I think any other project that is looking to move over such a large state is going to get huge benefits from leveraging that technology.”
The migration itself went perfectly, Sigel says. “No hiccups and nothing to report. It was boring! That’s exactly what we were hoping for.”
Unlocking New Opportunities Across Solana Projects
Helium’s move to Solana could lead to a ripple of growth across the entire DePIN movement. “Helium really represents the first DePIN business that things could be built on top of,” Daly explains.
For example, Hivemapper — which aims to compete with Google Maps API with a democratized, user-generated world map created with individual dashcams — recently started using Helium to verify the location of each driver.
By clocking which Helium hotspots a Hivemapper dashcam passes while traversing a particular route, the network can confirm that drivers are where they claim to be — without storing information that could violate their privacy.
Conclusion
Helium’s migration to Solana represents a significant step forward for the company, enabling them to unlock new opportunities and build a more scalable and sustainable network. With Solana’s interoperable ecosystem, low cost, and innovative solutions like compressed NFTs, Helium is poised to become a leader in the decentralized internet movement.
FAQs
Q: Why did Helium choose to migrate to Solana?
A: Helium chose to migrate to Solana because it offered a more scalable and sustainable solution for their network, enabling them to support multiple wireless standards and tokens, and providing a large developer network to help spread the workload.
Q: What is state compression, and how did it make Helium’s migration more viable?
A: State compression is a technology that allows for the efficient compression of large amounts of data. It made Helium’s migration to Solana more viable by reducing the cost of minting NFTs from fractions of a penny on the dollar to just fractions of a penny.
Q: What are the potential implications of Helium’s migration to Solana for the decentralized internet movement?
A: Helium’s migration to Solana could lead to a ripple of growth across the entire DePIN movement, enabling new opportunities for businesses and users to build decentralized, community-run infrastructure.
Q: What is Hivemapper, and how is it using Helium’s network?
A: Hivemapper is a project that aims to create a democratized, user-generated world map using individual dashcams. It is using Helium’s network to verify the location of each driver, ensuring that drivers are where they claim to be without storing sensitive information.
