Nova Labs

Nova Labs, Inc., doing business as Helium, operates a decentralized wireless network positioned as an alternative to conventional telecom infrastructure. Rather than relying on operator-owned cell towers, Helium's model uses small devices called Hotspots that are hosted by businesses and individuals to provide connectivity and extend coverage in places where people gather, work and move. Hosts earn HNT for connections carried over their hardware, which the company frames as the mechanism for building a large, participant-owned wireless network.

The network is organized into a Mobile Network and an IoT Network, supported by consumer-facing properties including a Hotspot store, a network explorer ("Helium World"), a status page and a global waitlist. Business offerings include Helium Plus, a program for converting existing Wi-Fi networks into Helium coverage, and carrier offload services aimed at moving mobile traffic onto the Helium network. The company's public positioning centers on rising connectivity demand from AI, streaming video, smart devices and phones, and on the argument that satellite direct-to-cell coverage does not address indoor usage, which it describes as the majority of mobile data consumption.

Business model

Helium coordinates a supply side of Hotspot hosts — businesses, venue partners and individuals who deploy hardware and share internet capacity — and a demand side of carriers, enterprises, small businesses and individual users who consume connectivity. Hotspot hardware is sold through the company's own store, and business programs such as Helium Plus and carrier offload are offered to organizations that want to convert Wi-Fi networks into Helium coverage or move traffic onto the network.

The company sells Hotspot hardware through its store and offers business programs including Helium Plus and carrier offload; HNT is described as the currency of connectivity and the economic engine of the network, paid to hosts for connections served. Deployers of Helium Plus pay no connect fees under a No Fee Program announced in August 2026.

Latest developments

In August 2026 Helium eliminated connect fees for Helium Plus deployers through a No Fee Program and introduced a minimum per-gigabyte earn rate for venue partners and deployers as a safeguard against market downturns. It also published commentary on the FCC opening unlicensed spectrum for satellite direct-to-cell service and on the limits of satellite-based wireless plans for indoor coverage.