DISH Network has partnered with Helium Inc., to support open source and low-cost wireless connectivity ecosystems.
DISH will also utilize the Helium Network’s blockchain-based incentive model with customers deploying their own 5G CBRS-based hotspots.

The Helium Network is a consumer-deployed, decentralized wireless infrastructure that produces and delivers data-forwarding hotspots. By installing a hotspot in the home or office, a customer can provide and/or strengthen 5G wireless coverage using CBRS spectrum.

In return, a customer will earn rewards in the form of $HNT, a Helium network-based token. The Helium Network is creating a new wireless economy through a breakthrough economic model known as the burn-and-mint equilibrium (BNM).

“Blockchain technologies hold tremendous potential for the wireless industry, and Helium is among the leading innovators who have demonstrated that the blockchain incentive works by creating the largest decentralized, unlicensed wireless network across the U.S.,” said Chris Ergen, head of the DISH Office of Innovation.

Helium decentralized wireless network coverage has grown to over 240,000 LoRA-based hotspots across 21,000 cities in North America, Europe and Asia. There are more than 500,000 additional hotspots currently back-ordered and over 50 new manufacturers waiting to be approved to build and sell Helium-compatible hardware.

Amir Haleem, CEO and co-founder, Helium, said: “The CBRS-based 5G hotspots will be deployed by customers, creating opportunities for users, partners and the entire ecosystem.”