The 5G network has been stealing the attention of the telecom industry since 2019 when the rumors of the key industry players putting their hand in it spread for the first time. The appeal of fifth-generation mobile connection network is hard to ignore: bolstering the higher capacity and speed exceeding 4G twice, 5G stores a generous promise of enabling the entire range of services unavailable before - this holds with respect to both Virtual and Augmented Reality, aside from giving a vital push to the Internet of Things together with cryptocurrency mining activities. However promising as it may sound at first, the rapid ascension of 5G technology is still held back by the cost factor: uplifting the new infrastructure and the pushing demand on consumers to pay extra may not be up to everyone’s taste.

Now, when the Association of Radio Network (ARN) engaged in cooperation with the Heliumrent platform, a 5G hotspot delivery service, the deployment of network coverage became an accessible feature: through distributing Helium mining hotspots, everyone has a possibility to rent out the network hotspot for a certain period of time and participate in the mining of HNT on a tremendous scale of over 450,000 active hotspots. The synchrony between the business of radio network and the rent-out service of helium mining devices for cryptocurrency is really a powerful one – the wide net of former gives ground for the extensive device connection of the latter, thus enabling a low-cost and far-reaching 5G network connectivity. Together, by bringing unmatched scaling opportunities, the partnership between ARN and Heliumrent platform is a perfect illustration of when one plus one equals three. Helium 5G is already a well-established cellular network based on Helium Blockchain; together with ARN, the goal is to promote the spread of the Internet of Things and thus, start a new era of connectivity available to all.

Seeing the scale of change enabled by the Association of Radio Network, I approached the General Manager, Sergio Fernandez, to speak about the transformative effect the ARN and Heliumrent platform partnership may have on various industries across the world.

1. To begin with, could you please tell us about the specificities of ARN’s business and the industry you are operating in?

Of course, we've been in the radio network industry for several years. Normally, our radio masts are used for the transmission of mobile and TV data. We took advantage of our position and started to install various devices from Bobcat, Sencecap, Nebra on our radio masts and thus drastically expanded the helium network.

2. What was the main motive behind your decision to engage in cooperation with Heliumrent platform in 2021? What has been the fruit of this cooperation so far?

The main reason is actually that we want to further expand our network with the help of customers who want to be active in helium mining but are unable to do so due to poor coverage or a long waiting list. The interest in helium mining is great. For the successful operation of these devices, however, you need good coverage options for the antennas, which is not possible in most residential buildings or on lower grounds. Helium mining differs drastically from normal mining such as "Bitcoin". With helium, you don't need CPU or GPU power, just radio traffic through antennas. So we are a good alternative to mine the cryptocurrency HNT.

3. As of now, what do you see as the main hindrances along the way of 5G adoption – and how those can be bridged, especially with the help of your solution?

IoT applications are constantly growing and must always be connected to satellites. Of course, 5G makes the whole thing even faster and easier - but the network can also become overloaded at some point or even actually fail. With the Lorawan technology, one does not have to communicate with the satellite but can communicate directly with the hotspots nearby. This relieves the 5G network and thus also offers an alternative to 5G. This is great progress for IoT applications.

4. What’s the role of Heliumrent platform in promoting the Helium Mining activity? And what are the necessary prerequisites for anyone willing to partake in it?

I think we play a good role in the helium mining sector. The prerequisites for taking part are a good radio connection and the necessary know-how to operate these devices. With us, the customer does not have to worry about these things or take care of them. We offer a full service in which the customer only has to make his investment with us. We take care of the expansion of the network. The customer always receives a fixed rate of return paid daily over the period of time the plan runs. The Plans can be checked here: https://helium.rent/plan

5. From the customer's point of view, what is the change observed in the quality of network connection since ARN and Heliumrent started to cooperate? What’s the number of hotspots that you have provided?

That's a good question. Our networks have the best locations worldwide and the best network coverage that you can actually have. Nevertheless, there are a few people who also achieve very good mining results and whose network is stable. Here we would have to carry out a study and present the comparison.

6. Generally, what are the opportunities stored for Helium within the constantly enlarging 5G ecosystem?

We offer IoT applications the possibility to send their data over the entire helium network and to use their services over it. From an investor perspective, owning Helium Coins is also interesting. This has already made rapid price increases in the last 2 years and is in the TOP50.

7. What role will ARN and Heliumrent cooperation play in the development and growth of the Internet of Things in Industry 4.0?

Currently, we only offer the network behind it. The future will show how developments and needs progress. In any case, we try not to miss the connection and to constantly develop our products.

8. How do you see the effect of this partnership potentially spilling over other nascent industries of the world economy?

In the radio mining sector, Helium is the only company and even enjoys a monopoly. I don't think that similar projects will be launched in a short time because this niche is very special. Rather, I think that large groups of investors at Helium will push the development even further and expand the possible uses. We are very excited to see how the helium network will develop in the future.

9. I’m also excited to hear your general perspective on the HNT token. What makes it a good investment, and how do you think it’s going to evolve in the future?

There will be a total volume of 223,000,000 Helium Tokens. Currently, 49% have already been manufactured and are in circulation. Since there is only a certain number of helium coins, it naturally makes this coin a rare good. In any case, the prices will continue to rise and will soon even reach the $100 mark. We are convinced that Helium will gain a great reputation worldwide. For us, it was a crucial point to enter the market and provide support to the network.

10. And to conclude our talk: what is your roadmap for ARN in 2022?

We would like to present our roadmap shortly on our website https://helium.rent. A lot has happened here and is currently being revised.