Movistar, Telef\u00f3nica\u2019s mobile flagship carrier in Mexico with over 20 million total subscribers, and Helium, a pioneer in decentralized wireless communications, are beginning to roll out the Helium Network, activating service to over 2 million Movistar subscribers across Mexico. This initial phase of the partnership will include network expansion in over 300 sites.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Movistar and Helium carried out a pilot project with thousands of Movistar customers. The pilot aimed to extend the operator\u2019s coverage in the country in certain areas to allow the offloading of mobile data traffic on the Helium Network. This was made possible thanks to a jointly designed architecture that allows Movistar subscribers to seamlessly connect to the Helium Network.<\/p>\n
This expansion accelerates the mass adoption of the Helium Network while reducing Movistar costs. The Helium community will deploy Helium Mobile Hotspots, which will be made available for purchase in Movistar retail stores and online channels, to rapidly expand coverage in Mexico. As part of this agreement, Movistar will also engage in the reselling of Helium Network coverage to other local MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators).<\/p>\n
The successful pilots conducted in Mexico City and Oaxaca underscore the potential of Helium\u2019s decentralized wireless technology. During the pilot phase, Movistar subscribers offloaded an average of 390 MB of data daily to the Helium Network\u2014the equivalent of five hours of social media browsing or sending 3,900 emails\u2014and maintained roughly one hour of daily connection time.<\/p>\n
Together, Helium and Movistar are flipping traditional telco on its head with a bold new business model that leverages network infrastructure that acts as mini-cell towers powered by individuals rather than massive centrally-operated cell towers. This model slashes overhead infrastructure costs for carriers while improving coverage for consumers. As a major player in the telco industry,<\/p>\n
Movistar\u2019s embrace of this people-powered model demonstrates the potential of decentralized wireless and puts Mexico at the forefront of cutting-edge technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Telef\u00f3nica Movistar M\u00e9xico, we are focused on working under an alliances model that allows technological deployment acceleration and better quality for users, while generating efficiencies. We\u2019re seeing what\u2019s possible and exploring how a network powered by people can bring more value to Telef\u00f3nica and our subscribers across Mexico. This partnership will be a milestone in reshaping connectivity, with Mexico leading the charge,\u201d said Camilo Aya Caro, President & CEO of Telef\u00f3nica Movistar M\u00e9xico.<\/p>\n
Today, the Helium Network has nearly 59,000 Hotspots deployed across Mexico and the U.S. and more than 300,000 daily subscribers from Helium Mobile and other major carriers already using the Network. Anyone can contribute to building the Helium Network by setting up a Hotspot in a local business, retail shop, event venue, or other location with high foot traffic. In return, Hotspot owners are rewarded in crypto for providing coverage and connecting nearby phones. The more phone data that Hotspots transfer, the more the Hotspot owner can earn.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelium is on a mission to make connectivity more affordable for the masses,\u201d said Mario Di Dio, GM of Network at Helium. \u201cCollaborating with Movistar amplifies our vision of decentralized connectivity, inviting millions of their subscribers to use the Helium Network.\u201d<\/p>\n
A global corporate project <\/p>\n
Movistar Mexico has been supported in this initiative by Telef\u00f3nica Innovaci\u00f3n Digital, the company of the Telef\u00f3nica Group that promotes innovation and the creation of technologies to continue projecting the future. Together with Helium, it has developed a pioneering controller solution that can be integrated with other operators who want to implement decentralized telecommunications networks based on Helium\u2019s blockchain technology.<\/p>\n
Helium is also part of the portfolio of startups invested in by Wayra, Telef\u00f3nica\u2019s corporate venture capital. This investment reinforces Telef\u00f3nica\u2019s strategy of attracting innovation and developing solutions that increase its technological capacity and offer innovative solutions that improve customer service and optimize operating costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Movistar, Telef\u00f3nica\u2019s mobile flagship carrier in Mexico with over 20 million total subscribers, and Helium, a pioneer in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43970,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[156,484,545,247,155,4296],"class_list":["post-43969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-telefonica","tag-analysts","tag-connectivity","tag-digitalisation","tag-mexico","tag-telefonica","tag-telefonica-innovacion-digital-tid"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43969\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}