Im always looking for goodblockchain use cases.
There are only a few companies that I rate.
One isHelium, who calls itself The Peoples web connection.
They achieve this by creating their own P2P internet web link.
This is a radical shift to wide area networks and internet connectivity.
How does it all work?
What underpins Helium is a series of Hotspots retailing for $495USD.
These create an open-sourced P2P long-range wireless online grid.
You could consider each hotspot a node or gateway.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
The HNTs offer an incentive for people to use their broadband to be the equivalent of a LoRa tower.
And you might painlessly make bank for a modest outlet and by doing very little.
It offers massive competition to cellular networks.
Heliums open source SDK means developers can create devices like pet trackers and air quality sensors.
A popular use case is water management, such as water metering and water leak detection.
Supply chain asset tracking and tracing is equally popular, such as parts tracking inVolvotruck factories.
Micro mobility company Lime is testing Heliums long-range online grid to track and recover its bikes andescooters.
According to Mong, the companys decision to switch to open source was probably the best decision ever made.
The company has recently joined forces to bring Helium to 5G with carrierFreedomFisopen source 5G online grid.
This will bring blockchain technology to large-scale enterprises such as Volvo and Cisco.
It offers validation that a public web connection like Helium are considered reliable enough to support industrial use cases.
Mong shared:
Actilitys customers have industrial applications that have very specific requirements.
Not only do they want reliability, data, accuracy, but they also want coverage.
Many have tried to build a public wireless web connection in the past.
Helium is also grappling with the semiconductor chip shortages and shipping slowdowns.
According to the company, there are currently about 3 million additional hotspots back-ordered.
Additionally, there are also over 50 new manufacturer applications awaiting approval to build and sell compatible hardware.
When I interviewed the company in February 2020, it had sold about 2,700 hotspots.
Blockchain to the rescue
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
