According to CoinDesk, Helium Network's HNT token has experienced a significant rally, driven by the increasing adoption of its wireless phone service, Helium Mobile. Over the past seven days, HNT's price has surged by over 40%, reaching $5. This performance places it as the second biggest gainer among the top 100 coins by market value, just behind the meme coin dogwifhat (WIF), based on data from Coingecko. In comparison, Bitcoin and the CoinDesk 20 Index both rose by 7% during the same period.

Helium Network is a decentralized blockchain network designed for the internet of things (IoT). It enables devices to communicate and share data through small devices known as hotspots. These hotspots act as wireless gateways, rewarding owners with HNT tokens for providing network coverage and verifying connectivity. Helium Mobile leverages this network by connecting to hotspots, facilitating data sharing, communication, and tracking without relying on traditional centralized cellular or Wi-Fi networks.

The number of Helium Mobile subscribers, which includes entities using mobile devices or sensors that communicate over the Helium Network, surpassed 100,000 earlier this month. This represents a 300-fold increase in one year, according to Helium Mobile data. On July 12, the phone service released its roadmap progress report, which highlighted a pilot program with major U.S. telcos to transfer data to the Helium Network. The report also announced a licensing program aimed at increasing compatibility with third-party hardware manufacturers and OpenRoaming compatibility to expand data transfer options for hotspot owners. This initiative will enable connectivity for Helium users and subscribers of any service provider that supports OpenRoaming.

Tom Shaughnessy Jr, founder of Delphi Ventures, praised Helium as a strong example of blockchain technology addressing real-world issues. He noted that Helium's 5G offers better consumer pricing by reselling home internet, which is more cost-effective compared to traditional mobile plans. Shaughnessy highlighted that a home internet service costing $50-$100 per month can be resold to multiple users at a lower price, such as $20 per month for Helium plans, compared to each person paying $50-$100 for their own mobile plan. He described the achievement of 100,000 subscribers as incredible.