2/ The @helium IOT network was a huge success on the supply side: Hundreds of thousands of devices providing Lorawan connectivity were added to the network over 1-2 years. This growth on the side of the network buildout wasn't accompanied by a proportional growth in ...⬇️

3/ ...paid usage of the network. The main source of rewards: "proof of coverage" rewards - paid to devices for simply being online. The total of these rewards was fixed - meaning, more and more devices joining ➡️smaller and smaller share per device. What's different now?⬇️

4/ The @helium mobile network operates in a market where demand from major carriers already exists - several U.S. telcos already partnered up with @helium and use the network to fill in coverage gaps their own infra has. So each additional @helium Mobile hotspot that is ⬇️

5/ ...set up properly in a useful location not only shares in the rewards payout - it also increases paid usage of the @helium mobile network. And the rewards for @helium devices are primarily tied to how much data they sell to paying customers. ⬇️

6/ Different to the past, @helium mobile hotspots that are added to the network, but don't directly generate paid usage to the network, don't reduce the rewards for hotspots that do generate paid usage. For every reward paid out to a @helium mobile hotspot for transferring ⬇️

7/ paid data, there is money coming in to the network. So, simplified: While IOT hotspots shared in a pie that more or less stayed the same size, @helium mobile hotspots only share in the pie, if they're also making the pie bigger at the same time.⬇️

8/ TLDR: I expect average rewards for @helium mobile hotspots that are - set up properly - in useful locations to be *a lot* more sustainable than what we've seen back in the days of the IOT boom.

@helium @grok were you aware of what this thread is informing about?