The TLDR

Helium Mobile is a new-ish cell phone service provider that partners with T-Mobile to provide nationwide coverage. The plan offers unlimited talk, text, and data for $20/month. What makes Helium Mobile unique is its goal of building out its “People Built” network. By utilizing the blockchain and incentivizing people who help build the network with their own Cryptocurrency which you can use to pay your cell phone bill. You do this by sharing information about the places throughout your day. The information includes data on “dead spots” in the People Built network where “builders” should consider deploying hardware to fill the gaps. For this information, you get rewards in the form of “MOBILE” tokens which can be used to pay your monthly bill. You are paid to use the service and help with the build-out.

Introduction

This is one project that I can get behind and I believe any crypto novice would too. This is the first crypto project I ran into that provides a service people use every day. It’s affordable and it also pays you to use the service. How about that? A service that pays YOU the consumer. But you know the saying, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is”? Keep reading and you make the decision.

So What is This?

Helium Mobile is a company that started in 2022. Their goal is to create a decentralized cell phone carrier where everyday people like you and I can help build something great and improve upon what is currently available. You’ve got the major cell phone carriers in the United States (AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile) and the smaller cell phone carriers such as Boost Mobile and Metro PCS. So what does Helium Mobile have in common with Boost Mobile and Metro PCS? All three carriers use T-Mobile towers giving you 5G Nationwide coverage. So Helium Mobile is just like the smaller cell phone carriers – with a twist.

What’s “the twist”

What sets Helium Mobile apart from the Boost Mobile and Metro PCS types of carriers is three things:

• You can earn crypto with your cell phone (using Discovery Mapping in the Helium Mobile app) that you can use to pay for your mobile service making your service potentially free
• You can help build the network by putting up hotspots to cover “dead spots” and earn MOBILE tokens in the process as well
• You can also access the Helium Mobile network hotspots that boost your coverage. This is all done in the background, so you don’t have to do anything. You can participate as well, but it’s not a requirement.

So, if you’re into crypto, you’ve probably heard of Helium Mobile. If not, I’ll have another blog explaining how you can help build the network and earn MOBILE tokens.

But I’m not into cryptocurrency. Can I still use Helium Mobile?

You certainly can! You don’t have to “mine” crypto to use the service. The Helium Mobile subscription costs $20/mo giving you:

To earn crypto on your phone, you’d have to turn on a feature called “Discovery Mapping”. So, as long as you don’t turn that on, you’ll still have excellent cell phone service at an awesome price. But if you change your mind and are curious about it, stay tuned for that blog!

$20/Mo for all of that? Can I bring my current phone and port in my number?

If you’ve got an iPhone that supports iOS 14 or newer or if you’ve got an Android phone that supports Android 11 or newer, then you probably can. When you sign up for the service, you can choose to receive a new SIM card from Helium Mobile and they will ship one out to you. The fastest way to start is if you have a phone that supports eSIM. To find out if your device utilizes eSIM, visit this article that Helium Mobile released: Is my phone eSIM Compatible?

I just switched my family to Helium Mobile, and there were hiccups along the way. However, my experience with their customer service was very helpful and they were very knowledgeable. They helped with porting in a couple of numbers that had issues coming over from AT&T, but I think it was mainly my fault for not providing the correct account number *SMH*

Helium Mobile just introduced a concierge service where you would be able to speak to a representative to assist you in the process.

Conclusion

All in all, I have been very impressed with the mobile service and the customer service. There will be bumps along the way, but that happens with any new venture with every business. I believe Helium Mobile will only be better with time and their concept of building out the network one hotspot at a time shows lots of promise.