Helium is a crypto startup with an inventive approach to wireless connectivity: rather than rely on major wireless carriers, it uses a network of user-operated nodes distributed around the world to power Internet of Things (IoT) devices. That kind of out-of-the-box thinking is now being used to fund a public-benefit project as well.
Today, Helium and the City of San Jose, California, announced a public-private partnership to help fund internet access for low-income households within the city. More than 1,300 households will receive a $120 payment on a gift card to help pay for home broadband service, and the pilot program is funded by the cryptocurrency mined by Helium nodes.
To be clear, it’s not Helium’s actual network that these households will tap into for internet access. Helium’s low-energy LongFi network is designed strictly for devices like sensors and trackers, and it isn’t built to handle connections from laptops and smartphones.
Instead, San Jose has deployed 20 Hel
Źródło: https://decrypt.co/82148/san-jose-low-income-internet-access-crypto-mining-helium
