Helium Network is decentralized wireless network that pays people to host hotspots. In the past Helium has overstated its partnerships with bikeshare provider Lime and software company Salesforce.

Helium markets it’s 5G network on its website by saying that “Helium 5G is here — the second major wireless network supported by the Helium blockchain.”

Helium Explorer now shows 8,417 5G radios on the network with 411 of those added in the last month.

From the Helium blog :

Historically many mobile networks are built top-down by service providers (e.g., AT&T and Verizon in the United States). However, future networks will likely be a hybrid of large-scale operators and people-owned 5G Hotspots due to consumer behavior demands (higher bandwidth and lower latency requirements) and the physics of wireless radio, requiring denser networks with more nodes, further increasing site acquisition costs.

The Helium model decentralizes these costs and enables communities to participate in building reliable, high-bandwidth networks using technologies like CBRS and Wi-Fi. We see service providers as a critical component of this ecosystem rather than replacing service providers altogether.

Nova Labs Acquires FreedomFi to Accelerate the Rollout of the Helium Mobile Network

• The acquisition reinforces Nova Labs’ mission to pioneer decentralized, open-source connectivity for all
• FreedomFi brings a proven track record of innovation and technological advancements in the telecommunications space and is a trusted Helium ecosystem partner — having provided the software and small cell hardware for Helium’s 5G network
• Together, the companies aim to accelerate the rollout of decentralized 5G connectivity nationwide

The problem is that Helium is using the term 5G as a marketing gimmick.

The industry consortium setting standards for 5G, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), defines “5G” as any system using 5G NR (5G New Radio) software — a definition that came into general use by late 2018.

Taken from the FreedomFi website the reader is led to believe that the gateway that they are purchasing would indeed provide 5G coverage after adding a CBRS small cell.

Will this device provide 5G coverage?

Out of the box, the FreedomFi Gateway alone does not provide 5G cellular coverage. To add 5G cellular support to your FreedomFi Gateway, purchase a certified plug-and-play Powered by FreedomFi CBRS small cell, connect it to the gateway and follow the onboarding steps to get it registered on the network, operational and earning MOBILE tokens for providing network coverage.

FreedomFi’s argument is that you can call something 5G if it has a “5G-compliant architecture for the network core” but has no 5G radios. The general minimum industry standard for 5G is that somewhere there’s a 5G NR radio involved.

“From FreedomFi’s website: Is this 5G or LTE?

This is not a black or white answer. 5G is an architecture standard for cellular wireless networks that covers:

Architecture of the software (aka the network core);

Architecture of the radio hardware

Contrary to the common belief, 5G is not specific to a frequency band and is not the same as high frequency mmWave. 5G uses much of the same frequencies as LTE.

With the Helium 5G rollout, we use the CBRS spectrum (aka mid-band 5G spectrum) and provide a 5G-compliant architecture for the network core that runs on a FreedomFi 5G Gateway. However, the first cellular radio we certified as part of this bundle is LTE.

Why? Because LTE small cells are cheaper and more phones can connect to them. With pure 5G small cells today you gain nothing except higher equipment cost and a shorter phone compatibility list. As “high-band” 5G small cells operating in the mmWave frequencies become more common-place and cheaper, we will certify those radios and FreedomFi 5G Gateway owners will be able plug them into the gateway without needing to buy a different FreedomFi 5G Gateway.

And, yes, we admit that we call this setup Helium 5G vs. LTE because it sounds cooler. If everybody else in the industry can, so can we.”

I consider myself a huge fan of the Helium Network but this lack of transparency is disturbing given the fact that this misinformation is being marketed to the Helium community which is making a significant investment by choosing to participate in the so called 5G network.

The fact that all the major carriers may be employing the same marketing tactic does not concern me. What bothers me is when someone wants to partner with me but they are not entirely honest or transparent.

Individuals choosing to participate on the network by buying a 5G bundle are assuming a fair amount of risk by being an early adopter and deserve the honest truth from hotspot manufacturer’s.