Helium 

HNT Price

What is the Helium (HNT) token?

Helium is a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) where individuals deploy Hotspot devices to build and own wireless coverage. The network runs two systems: a global LoRaWAN network for IoT devices and a cellular offload network for mobile connectivity (Helium Mobile 5G). HNT is the network's native reward and payment token. Since April 18, 2023, HNT has existed as an SPL token on Solana, following the HIP-70 migration from Helium's own L1 blockchain.

How does Helium crypto work?

Hotspot operators deploy radios that provide verified wireless coverage and earn HNT rewards in return. Enterprises and developers pay data-transmission fees by burning HNT into Data Credits — USD-pegged tokens produced only by destroying HNT. The burn-and-mint design ties token supply to real network usage. Helium calls the model "Own the Air": coverage suppliers, rather than a centralized carrier, own the infrastructure and its revenue stream.

What is the HNT token's total supply?

HNT has a maximum supply of 223,000,000 tokens, fixed by proposal HIP-20; the original 240M theoretical cap was cut by roughly 17M because Year-1 block times minted fewer coins than allotted. As of August 2026, total supply stands at approximately 186.3M HNT per DropsTab data, with the remainder accruing through emissions. Emissions launched at 5M HNT per month and halve every two years — the first halving occurred on August 1, 2021.

Does HNT have a vesting schedule or token unlocks?

HNT has no vesting schedule and no investor unlock cliffs. The token launched with no pre-mine on July 29, 2019, and distribution runs through emission-based mining rewards rather than an allocation table. Tokens sold in the 2021 private sale have no publicly disclosed linear-unlock schedule. Supply risk therefore sits in emissions — which decay at each halving — rather than in scheduled unlocks that create concentrated sell pressure.

Who funded Helium, and what does the backing signal?

DropsTab fundraising data shows Helium raised roughly $365M across six disclosed rounds, from a $2.8M seed in November 2013 to a $200M Series D in February 2022. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) led the $111M token sale in August 2021. Backers include Khosla Ventures, GV, Multicoin Capital, Union Square Ventures and Tiger Global — a Tier-1 venture bench signaling more than a decade of institutional conviction.

What happened to Helium crypto?

Helium migrated HNT from its own L1 blockchain to Solana on April 18, 2023, under proposal HIP-70, making HNT an SPL token. The migration ended the era of the IOT and MOBILE subDAO tokens introduced in 2022 — the ecosystem consolidated utility back into HNT. Founded by Napster co-founder Shawn Fanning and Amir Haleem, Helium also rebranded its corporate entity from Helium Inc. to Nova Labs alongside the February 2022 funding round.

Where can I buy HNT?

HNT trades almost entirely on centralized exchanges (CEXs). Per DropsTab data, spot listings span 5+ venues — including fiat pairs on Coinbase and Kraken (HNT/USD), USDT pairs on Bybit, KuCoin, Gate and MEXC, and local-currency pairs such as HNT/TRY, HNT/INR and HNT/EUR. Perpetual futures on HNT/USDT trade on Bybit, MEXC and Gate. DropsTab tracks no DEX markets for HNT, so liquidity sits on tier-1 CEX venues rather than on low-liquidity pools.

Is Helium a good investment?

No data-driven verdict exists — but the documented risks are specific. HNT supply inflates through mining emissions until the 223M cap is reached, though inflation decays at each two-year halving. Helium's 2021 token sale drew US securities-status scrutiny, and HNT's classification remains unsettled context. The fundraising cap table includes FTX Ventures and Alameda Research, counterparties that collapsed in November 2022 — a lingering sentiment overhang on the token-sale tranche.