Nova Labs

Nova Labs, Inc. (doing business as Helium, formerly Helium Inc.) is a decentralized telecommunications infrastructure company. It builds software, blockchain infrastructure and specifications for wireless hotspots that individuals and businesses host on their premises; those hosts provide coverage and carry traffic and are rewarded with the network's native HNT cryptocurrency. The Helium brand is retained for the network itself, while Nova Labs is the corporate entity that develops and supports the underlying decentralized wireless technologies — a distinction the company said was the purpose of the March 2022 rebrand.

The network began as a LoRaWAN-based low-power wide-area (LPWA) network for IoT sensors and tracking applications, and later extended to cellular coverage using CBRS spectrum for 5G. The company's stated ambition is to become a "network of networks," with the CEO citing intentions to apply decentralized infrastructure to further protocols such as Wi-Fi and VPN. As of the company website in 2026, product lines described include a Mobile Network, an IoT Network, HNT, Helium World, a Helium Plus program for business deployers, Wi-Fi network conversion, and carrier offload; the site also references deployment in Mexico and a global waitlist.

Governance of the network is organized through Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), in which HNT holders vote on Helium Improvement Proposals (HIPs); HIP 27, passed in February 2021, permitted exploration of 5G and LTE wireless coverage, with subsequent expansions creating sub-DAOs for protocol-specific networks.