Is Decentralization a Good Idea?

Helium is a global, distributed network of long-range wireless coverage hotspots for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, powered by the Helium blockchain. Community run hotspots create 'The People’s Network' and they are rewarded with $HNT, the native cryptocurrency of the network, through the Proof-of-Coverage mechanism. Helium has managed to build the largest P2P network with over 600,000 hotspots and is now starting to deploy other networks like a 5g cellular network.

We were joined by Founder and CEO of Helium, Amir Haleem, to chat about how Helium works and the most interesting use cases, how the Proof-of-Coverage mechanism allows the community to participate, and the road ahead for the network.

Topics covered in this episode:

• What is a wireless network and what makes them so interesting
• The objective of Helium
• The use cases Amir is most interested in
• How cellular networks are utilized
• Helium and censorship resistance
• The architecture of the Helium Network
• Proof-of-coverage
• The HNT and Data Credit tokens
• The possibility of Helium becoming interoperable and hosting smart contracts
• The biggest challenges in Helium's future

Episode links:

• Helium
• Helium on Twitter
• Amir on Twitter

Sponsors:

• Gnosis Safe: Gnosis Safe is a smart wallet for securely managing digital assets and allows you to define customized access permissions. - https://epicenter.rocks/gnosissafe
• Tally: Tally is a new wallet for Web3 and DeFi that sees the wallet as a public good. Think of it like a community-owned alternative to MetaMask. - https://epicenter.rocks/tallycash

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/434