Audit log

Every state-changing event for Helium Mobile: moderation decisions on community submissions, plus corrections and updates from the news pipeline. URL-based decisions carry three independent witnesses — the original source, an Internet Archive snapshot taken at submission time, and a Solana memo signed by our publicly-disclosed publisher key.

1. #1publishby system:backfill

   2026-06-01 13:01:11Z
   Score: ? → ? (no score change)
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   ●mainnet-betaslot 423,596,961

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   86B8GuSi1vAY…Jf9JwQFTcopyexplorer ↗

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   {"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"8b1b9eab-eed2-4072-94e6-38436e552dab","kind":"publish","page_slug":"helium-mobile","published_at":"2026-06-01T13:01:11.591Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Helium Mobile","sections":[{"content":"Helium Mobile is operated by Nova Labs, Inc. (formerly Helium Inc.), a San Francisco-based company incorporated in Delaware. Nova Labs launched the Helium Mobile consumer cellular service, positioning it as the 'world's first crypto-powered mobile service.' The product functions as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that rides on T-Mobile's nationwide 5G network as its primary coverage layer while also routing traffic through a community-deployed network of Wi-Fi hotspots. Plans are available at hellohelium.com. As of late 2025, the service reported over 600,000 cumulative sign-ups and claimed approximately 2 million daily connections across all service tiers by year-end 2025. Nova Labs raised $200 million in a Series D round in March 2022 at a $1.2 billion valuation, with investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global, Google Ventures, Pantera Capital, and Ribbit Capital.","heading":"Company and Product Overview","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Unlimited Helium Mobile cell plan goes nationwide for $20 a month — Blockworks","type":"news_article","url":"https://blockworks.com/news/helium-cell-plan-goes-nationwide"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Nova Labs raises $200M Series D at $1.2B valuation — SiliconANGLE","type":"news_article","url":"https://siliconangle.com/2022/03/30/helium-changes-name-nova-labs-confirms-200m-round-1-2b-valuation/"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Helium Mobile hits 250,000 subscribers — SolanaFloor","type":"news_article","url":"https://solanafloor.com/news/helium-mobile-hits-250-000-subscribers-setting-new-all-time-high"}]},{"content":"Nova Labs is led by publicly identified executives with verifiable professional histories. Amir Haleem, co-founder and CEO, previously co-founded gaming platform Diversion and was a developer on Battlefield 1942 at DICE/EA. He co-founded Helium in 2013 alongside Shawn Fanning (co-founder of Napster) and Sean Carey, though Carey departed in 2015 and Fanning has no documented active involvement post-rebranding. Frank Mong serves as Chief Operating Officer, with a prior background at Palo Alto Networks and HP enterprise security. The leadership team is fully named and their professional histories are publicly documented, representing a low team-transparency risk. The company rebranded from Helium Inc. to Nova Labs in March 2022.","heading":"Team Transparency","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Nova Labs Business Breakdown and Founding Story — Contrary Research","type":"research","url":"https://research.contrary.com/company/nova-labs"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Amir Haleem speaker profile — Blockworks","type":"other","url":"https://blockworks.co/speaker/amir-haleem"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Crypto Wireless Network Founders Raise $200M, Rebrand to Nova Labs — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/96386/helium-crypto-wireless-network-founders-raise-200m-rebrand-to-nova-labs"}]},{"content":"On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint against Nova Labs in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaint alleged that Nova Labs made materially false and misleading statements to prospective equity investors during a fundraising period from late 2021 to early 2022, during which the company raised $200 million. Specifically, the SEC alleged that Nova Labs falsely claimed that Lime, Nestle, and Salesforce were actively using or relying on the Helium Network, when those companies were not in fact customers of the network. According to the complaint, both Nestle and Lime issued cease-and-desist letters to Nova Labs after learning of the representations being made in their names. The SEC complaint also alleged that a 'Discovery Mapping' feature exchanged private user data for crypto rewards in a manner that may have constituted an unregistered securities offering. In April 2025, the SEC agreed to dismiss the unregistered securities claims against HNT, MOBILE, and IOT tokens with prejudice, permanently barring the agency from refiling those specific claims. Nova Labs agreed to pay a $200,000 civil penalty to settle the investor fraud allegations without admitting or denying fault. The settlement and dismissal were widely interpreted as a resolution favorable to the Helium ecosystem, though the confirmed fraud finding — that the company misrepresented enterprise relationships to investors — remains a documented reputational risk.","heading":"SEC Enforcement Action and Investor Fraud Settlement","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"SEC Complaint against Nova Labs (comp26229.pdf) — SEC.gov","type":"court_filing","url":"https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2025/comp26229.pdf"},{"credibility":1,"name":"SEC.gov Litigation Release LR-26291 — Nova Labs, Inc.","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26291"},{"credibility":2,"name":"SEC drops unregistered securities claims against Nova Labs — The Block","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/350471/sec-drops-unregistered-securities-claims-against-nova-labs-helium-says"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Gensler's Last Act: SEC Files Lawsuit Against Helium Network Creator Nova Labs — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/301920/sec-files-lawsuit-helium-network-creator"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Nova Labs Agrees to Pay SEC $200K to Settle Allegations It Lied to Investors About Brand Partnerships — Securities Docket","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.securitiesdocket.com/2025/04/11/helium-issuer-nova-labs-agrees-to-pay-sec-200k-to-settle-allegations-it-lied-to-investors-about-brand-partnerships/"}]},{"content":"Helium Mobile markets itself using a 'Dynamic Coverage' model: subscribers primarily access T-Mobile's nationwide 5G network via a standard wholesale MVNO agreement, with opportunistic offloading to community-deployed Wi-Fi hotspots at qualifying locations. The T-Mobile MVNO arrangement has been confirmed and provides credible nationwide coverage. However, the marketing of T-Mobile carrier offload — meaning T-Mobile's own subscribers connecting to Helium hotspots — has been disputed. Light Reading reported in 2024 that T-Mobile officials stated there is no formal carrier-offload agreement with Helium, while a Helium spokesperson described the arrangement as operating through a third-party wireless company. This discrepancy between Helium's marketing language and T-Mobile's public statements represents a moderate transparency concern. On the AT&T side, a formal partnership was announced in April 2025 enabling AT&T subscribers to connect to Helium's 94,000+ hotspots via Passpoint roaming. As of Q4 2025, the Helium Mobile hotspot network comprised over 98,000 hotspots domestically, with cumulative carrier offload data reaching 9,839 TB, up 80.5% quarter-over-quarter. Consumer reviewers generally rate Helium Mobile's service quality positively given that the primary connectivity layer is T-Mobile's network, though rural coverage limitations are noted where community hotspot density is low.","heading":"Coverage and Service Quality Claims","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium teases offload from T-Mobile — but there's no formal deal — Light Reading","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.lightreading.com/oss-bss-cx/helium-teases-offload-from-t-mobile-but-there-s-no-formal-deal"},{"credibility":2,"name":"T-Mobile allows the Helium Mobile crypto carrier to ride on its 5G network — Fierce Network","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.fierce-network.com/5g/t-mobile-allows-helium-mobile-crypto-carrier-ride-its-5g-network"},{"credibility":2,"name":"AT&T partners with Helium for better Wi-Fi offload — Fierce Network","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.fierce-network.com/newswire/att-partners-helium-better-wi-fi-offload"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Review — Cape","type":"research","url":"https://www.cape.co/blog/helium-mobile-review"}]},{"content":"From launch through mid-2025, Helium Mobile's free 'Zero Plan' required subscribers to share continuous anonymized location data with Helium Mobile in exchange for free cellular service. The company described this as enabling network coverage mapping. The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) published a critique asserting that Helium Mobile's anonymization promises were insufficient, citing research showing that anonymized location datasets can be re-identified when combined with publicly available information, and noting that rewards were withheld until subscribers had contributed 90 days of location data — creating a delayed-value data-harvesting model. As of October 1, 2025, Helium Mobile updated its Zero Plan to remove the mandatory location-sharing requirement, replacing it with a minimum monthly data usage requirement to remain active. The company confirmed in its support documentation that location sharing would be automatically disabled beginning with app version 3.13.1. The shift away from mandatory location data collection, while a positive development, occurred after sustained public criticism and after the privacy tradeoff had been in place for over two years. The company's Privacy Notice remains publicly accessible at heliummobile.com/privacy.","heading":"Data Privacy and Location Tracking","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile's free phone service has a steep cost — S.T.O.P. Surveillance Technology Oversight Project","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/helium-mobiles-free-phone-service-has-a-steep-cost"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Free Plan No Longer Requires Your Location Data — TMO Report","type":"news_article","url":"https://tmo.report/2025/10/helium-mobiles-free-plan-no-longer-requires-your-location-data/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Drops Location Tracking From Free Phone Plan — Wirefly","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.wirefly.com/news/helium-mobile-drops-location-tracking-free-phone-plan"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Helium Mobile Privacy Notice — heliummobile.com","type":"official","url":"https://heliummobile.com/privacy"}]},{"content":"Helium Mobile subscribers were historically rewarded in MOBILE, a Solana-based SPL token issued by the Helium network. In January 2025, the Helium community approved HIP 138 (Helium Improvement Proposal 138), which halted new MOBILE token emissions and consolidated rewards across all Helium sub-networks back to HNT, the primary network token. On June 26, 2025, Coinbase suspended trading of MOBILE, citing token deprecation following the HIP 138 migration. This suspension caused MOBILE's price to decline approximately 87-88% from its December 2024 high of $0.0021, with the token trading near $0.00026 shortly after. Token holders were offered a migration path to swap MOBILE for HNT via the Helium Wallet app and third-party DEXes such as Jupiter. The MOBILE treasury continued receiving funding through August 2025. The token's deprecation means that the crypto-rewards value proposition marketed to early subscribers has materially changed: subscribers no longer earn a dedicated carrier token and instead receive HNT, a more liquid but less carrier-specific asset. Users who held MOBILE prior to the deprecation and did not migrate in time faced substantial losses in value. This structural change to the rewards model was approved by community governance rather than imposed unilaterally by Nova Labs, but it nonetheless altered the product as originally marketed.","heading":"MOBILE Token Deprecation and Subscriber Reward Risks","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile (MOBILE), Ribbon Finance (RBN) and others — Coinbase delisting June 26, 2025 — TradingView/CoinMarketCal","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.tradingview.com/news/coinmarketcal:8af226535094b:0-helium-mobile-mobile-ribbon-finance-rbn-and-others-coinbase-delisting-26-jun-2025/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"HNT Returns: Implementation Updates and Community Q&A on HIP 138 — Helium Blog","type":"official","url":"https://blog.helium.com/hnt-returns-implementation-updates-and-community-q-a-on-hip-138-334aef394f48"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium price forecast as Coinbase suspends Helium MOBILE trading — Bitcoin Insider","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bitcoininsider.org/article/277615/helium-price-forecast-coinbase-suspends-helium-mobile-trading"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Coinbase Delists Four Tokens June 26, 2025 Due To Protocol Upgrades — AInvest","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.ainvest.com/news/coinbase-delists-tokens-june-26-2025-due-protocol-upgrades-2506/"}]},{"content":"Helium Mobile's pricing history has generated documented consumer complaints about broken commitments. Beta-phase participants who joined in 2023 were offered a $5/month unlimited plan with promotional language stating rates would be honored 'for as long as they remain a Helium Mobile subscriber.' A $20/month unlimited plan launched nationally in December 2023. On January 12, 2026, Nova Labs announced that both legacy plans would be discontinued effective January 27, 2026, with affected subscribers automatically migrated to the $15/month 'Air Plan.' Customers who had paid $5/month received a $10 account credit as partial compensation. Consumer feedback on Trustpilot and the BBB described the change as a breach of the company's documented promotional promises, with some characterizing it as 'bait-and-switch.' Concurrently, the free 'Zero Plan' underwent multiple degradations: in early 2026, it was modified to require a card on file for taxes and fees (reducing 3GB of T-Mobile data to 1GB, with the remaining 2GB restricted to Helium's own network); on April 28, 2026, the Zero Plan was removed entirely for new subscribers; and in May 2026, existing Zero Plan subscribers received notice that the plan would terminate on June 11, 2026, with automatic migration to the $15/month Air Plan. Helium Mobile's official statement claimed existing Zero Plan subscribers were not impacted, contradicting user reports of forced migrations documented by Android Authority. The BBB lists Helium Mobile as having failed to respond to at least three consumer complaints.","heading":"Pricing Promises and Plan Changes","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Betrays Long-Term Customers With Forced Plan Changes — TMO Report","type":"news_article","url":"https://tmo.report/2026/01/helium-mobile-makes-plan-changes-that-rub-long-time-customers-the-wrong-way/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile discontinues its completely free Zero Plan — Android Authority","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.androidauthority.com/helium-mobile-zero-plan-discontinued-3661478/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Plan Changes: Free Plan Now Has Taxes, Legacy Plans Discontinued — BestMVNO","type":"news_article","url":"https://bestmvno.com/helium-mobile/helium-mobile-forces-plan-changes/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Suddenly Ends Free Plan — TMO Report","type":"news_article","url":"https://tmo.report/2026/04/helium-mobile-suddenly-ends-free-plan-may-force-customers-to-15-air-plan/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile BBB Business Profile — Better Business Bureau","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-francisco/profile/telecommunications/helium-mobile-1116-968559"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Helium Mobile Reviews — Trustpilot","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.trustpilot.com/review/hellohelium.com"}]},{"content":"Consumer review records document recurring customer service issues. Common complaints filed with the BBB and Trustpilot include: failure to provide port-out PINs (leaving customers unable to transfer their number to another carrier); payment processing errors where crypto-payment-funded bills were misapplied to the wrong billing cycle without recourse; rewards program disputes in which customers alleged being disqualified from Cloud Points redemption without explanation; and account accessibility failures for users relying on third-party identity verification. The BBB profile for Helium Mobile's San Francisco entity records at least three complaints to which the business failed to respond. Customer service continuity issues were also documented, with reviewers describing support interactions being repeatedly re-opened without prior context. These complaints are consistent with a rapidly scaling MVNO managing service operations without mature support infrastructure, rather than indicative of systematic fraud. The Cloud Points rewards program, which grants subscribers redeemable credits for data usage, has documented terms that allow Helium Mobile to revoke points 'in its sole discretion' in cases of suspected abuse, a clause that has been cited in complaint narratives.","heading":"Customer Service and Operational Complaints","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile BBB Complaints — Better Business Bureau","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-francisco/profile/telecommunications/helium-mobile-1116-968559/complaints?page=2"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Helium Mobile Customer Reviews — Trustpilot","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.trustpilot.com/review/hellohelium.com"}]},{"content":"Beyond the SEC enforcement action, Nova Labs holds standard FCC filings as a licensed MVNO operator, with filings recorded under 'Nova Labs, Inc. dba Helium Mobile' on the FCC public database. No additional active regulatory enforcement actions by the FCC, FTC, or state consumer protection agencies against Helium Mobile were identified at the time of this report. The SEC settlement resolved both the fraud allegations (via $200,000 civil penalty) and the unregistered securities claims against HNT, MOBILE, and IOT tokens (dismissed with prejudice in April 2025). The with-prejudice dismissal of the securities claims prevents the SEC from re-filing those specific claims under the current allegations. The January 2025 SEC complaint was filed during the final days of Chair Gary Gensler's tenure and was resolved under his successor's administration as part of a broader regulatory climate shift.","heading":"Regulatory and Compliance Record","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Nova Labs, Inc. dba Helium Mobile FCC Filings — FCC.report","type":"regulatory","url":"https://fcc.report/company/Nova-Labs-Inc-dba-Helium-Mobile"},{"credibility":1,"name":"SEC.gov Litigation Release LR-26291 — Nova Labs, Inc.","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26291"},{"credibility":2,"name":"SEC Dismisses Helium Token Lawsuit With Prejudice — The Defiant","type":"news_article","url":"https://thedefiant.io/news/regulation/sec-dismisses-helium-token-lawsuit-prejudice-nova-labs-agrees-to-200k-settlement-d3245cfa"}]},{"content":"The Helium Mobile carrier offload program, in which third-party telecom subscribers connect to Helium hotspots, has expanded materially since 2024. A formal partnership with AT&T was announced in April 2025, enabling AT&T subscribers to connect to Helium hotspots via Passpoint roaming. Telefonica's Movistar has also been reported as a carrier offload partner. By Q4 2025, cumulative all-time offloaded data reached 9,839 TB (up 80.5% quarter-over-quarter), and hotspot operators collectively earned over $300,000 in offload rewards in a single month. Hotspot operators are compensated at approximately $0.50 per gigabyte of offloaded traffic. The hotspot network stood at approximately 98,000 active hotspots domestically as of Q1 2025, expanding from 28,100 at the start of that year. However, the claimed T-Mobile carrier-offload relationship has been publicly disputed: T-Mobile told Light Reading it has no formal offload agreement with Helium Network, while Helium attributed the connectivity to a third-party arrangement it declined to identify. This ambiguity in the T-Mobile relationship is a moderate credibility concern given the prominence with which T-Mobile's brand appeared in Helium Mobile's marketing.","heading":"Network Infrastructure and Carrier Offload Legitimacy","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"AT&T pairs with Helium to enhance WiFi connectivity across US — Data Center Dynamics","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/att-pairs-with-helium-to-enhance-wifi-connectivity-across-us/"},{"credibility":3,"name":"How Helium Mobile Is Transforming Wi-Fi Offload with Decentralized Coverage in 2025 — DePIN Wireless","type":"news_article","url":"https://depinwireless.com/2025/11/17/how-helium-mobile-is-transforming-wi-fi-offload-with-decentralized-coverage-in-2025/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium teases offload from T-Mobile — but there's no formal deal — Light Reading","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.lightreading.com/oss-bss-cx/helium-teases-offload-from-t-mobile-but-there-s-no-formal-deal"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Helium Mobile Carrier Offload Program FAQ — Helium Mobile Help Center","type":"official","url":"https://hardware.hellohelium.com/en/articles/9903527-helium-mobile-carrier-offload-program-faq"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"SEC Complaint against Nova Labs (comp26229.pdf)","type":"court_filing","url":"https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2025/comp26229.pdf"},{"credibility":1,"name":"SEC.gov Litigation Release LR-26291 — Nova Labs, Inc.","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26291"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Nova Labs, Inc. dba Helium Mobile FCC Filings — FCC.report","type":"regulatory","url":"https://fcc.report/company/Nova-Labs-Inc-dba-Helium-Mobile"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Helium Mobile Privacy Notice","type":"official","url":"https://heliummobile.com/privacy"},{"credibility":1,"name":"HNT Returns: HIP 138 Community Q&A — Helium Blog","type":"official","url":"https://blog.helium.com/hnt-returns-implementation-updates-and-community-q-a-on-hip-138-334aef394f48"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Helium Mobile Carrier Offload Program FAQ","type":"official","url":"https://hardware.hellohelium.com/en/articles/9903527-helium-mobile-carrier-offload-program-faq"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Gensler's Last Act: SEC Files Lawsuit Against Helium Network Creator Nova Labs — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/301920/sec-files-lawsuit-helium-network-creator"},{"credibility":2,"name":"SEC drops unregistered securities claims against Nova Labs — The Block","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/350471/sec-drops-unregistered-securities-claims-against-nova-labs-helium-says"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Nova Labs Agrees to Pay SEC $200K — Securities Docket","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.securitiesdocket.com/2025/04/11/helium-issuer-nova-labs-agrees-to-pay-sec-200k-to-settle-allegations-it-lied-to-investors-about-brand-partnerships/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Nova Labs raises $200M Series D at $1.2B valuation — SiliconANGLE","type":"news_article","url":"https://siliconangle.com/2022/03/30/helium-changes-name-nova-labs-confirms-200m-round-1-2b-valuation/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile debuts crypto wireless network in Miami — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/152533/helium-mobile-debuts-crypto-wireless-network-miami-5-month"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Unlimited Helium Mobile cell plan goes nationwide for $20/month — Blockworks","type":"news_article","url":"https://blockworks.com/news/helium-cell-plan-goes-nationwide"},{"credibility":2,"name":"T-Mobile allows the Helium Mobile crypto carrier to ride its 5G network — Fierce Network","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.fierce-network.com/5g/t-mobile-allows-helium-mobile-crypto-carrier-ride-its-5g-network"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium teases offload from T-Mobile — but there's no formal deal — Light Reading","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.lightreading.com/oss-bss-cx/helium-teases-offload-from-t-mobile-but-there-s-no-formal-deal"},{"credibility":2,"name":"AT&T partners with Helium for better Wi-Fi offload — Fierce Network","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.fierce-network.com/newswire/att-partners-helium-better-wi-fi-offload"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile's free phone service has a steep cost — S.T.O.P.","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/helium-mobiles-free-phone-service-has-a-steep-cost"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Free Plan No Longer Requires Location Data — TMO Report","type":"news_article","url":"https://tmo.report/2025/10/helium-mobiles-free-plan-no-longer-requires-your-location-data/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile discontinues its completely free Zero Plan — Android Authority","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.androidauthority.com/helium-mobile-zero-plan-discontinued-3661478/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Plan Changes: Free Plan Now Has Taxes, Legacy Plans Discontinued — BestMVNO","type":"news_article","url":"https://bestmvno.com/helium-mobile/helium-mobile-forces-plan-changes/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Suddenly Ends Free Plan — TMO Report","type":"news_article","url":"https://tmo.report/2026/04/helium-mobile-suddenly-ends-free-plan-may-force-customers-to-15-air-plan/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Betrays Long-Term Customers With Forced Plan Changes — TMO Report","type":"news_article","url":"https://tmo.report/2026/01/helium-mobile-makes-plan-changes-that-rub-long-time-customers-the-wrong-way/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile Review — Cape","type":"research","url":"https://www.cape.co/blog/helium-mobile-review"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Nova Labs Business Breakdown and Founding Story — Contrary Research","type":"research","url":"https://research.contrary.com/company/nova-labs"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile BBB Business Profile — Better Business Bureau","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-francisco/profile/telecommunications/helium-mobile-1116-968559"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile BBB Complaints — Better Business Bureau","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-francisco/profile/telecommunications/helium-mobile-1116-968559/complaints?page=2"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Helium Mobile Customer Reviews — Trustpilot","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.trustpilot.com/review/hellohelium.com"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Helium Mobile (MOBILE) Coinbase delisting June 2025 — TradingView","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.tradingview.com/news/coinmarketcal:8af226535094b:0-helium-mobile-mobile-ribbon-finance-rbn-and-others-coinbase-delisting-26-jun-2025/"},{"credibility":3,"name":"How Helium Mobile Is Transforming Wi-Fi Offload in 2025 — DePIN Wireless","type":"news_article","url":"https://depinwireless.com/2025/11/17/how-helium-mobile-is-transforming-wi-fi-offload-with-decentralized-coverage-in-2025/"}],"summary":"Helium Mobile is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) launched by Nova Labs, Inc. in 2023, marketed as the world's first crypto-powered consumer cellular service. It provides coverage primarily via T-Mobile's wholesale 5G network, supplemented by a community-built Wi-Fi hotspot layer, and issues MOBILE token rewards to subscribers and hotspot operators. Parent company Nova Labs settled a $200,000 SEC fraud charge in April 2025 over misrepresentations made to investors about enterprise partnerships, while the MOBILE token has been deprecated in favor of HNT under community governance proposal HIP 138.","timeline":[{"date":"2013-01-01","event":"Helium Inc. founded by Amir Haleem, Shawn Fanning, and Sean Carey, initially focused on IoT connectivity.","source":"Contrary Research — Nova Labs Business Breakdown","source_url":"https://research.contrary.com/company/nova-labs"},{"date":"2022-03-30","event":"Helium Inc. rebrands to Nova Labs and announces $200 million Series D funding at a $1.2 billion valuation, led by Tiger Global and Andreessen Horowitz.","source":"SiliconANGLE","source_url":"https://siliconangle.com/2022/03/30/helium-changes-name-nova-labs-confirms-200m-round-1-2b-valuation/"},{"date":"2022-09-20","event":"Nova Labs announces a multi-year wholesale MVNO agreement with T-Mobile, announcing plans for Helium Mobile consumer cellular service.","source":"CoinDesk","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/09/20/nova-labs-says-t-mobile-to-cover-5g-dead-spots-in-helium-network"},{"date":"2023-08-01","event":"Helium Mobile launches beta in Miami, Florida at $5/month unlimited, becoming the company's first live consumer cellular offering.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/152533/helium-mobile-debuts-crypto-wireless-network-miami-5-month"},{"date":"2023-12-01","event":"Helium Mobile launches $20/month unlimited plan nationwide.","source":"Blockworks","source_url":"https://blockworks.com/news/helium-cell-plan-goes-nationwide"},{"date":"2024-09-01","event":"Helium Mobile reaches 100,000 sign-ups.","source":"Helium Mobile Blog","source_url":"https://blog.heliummobile.com/helium-mobile-hits-100-000-sign-ups/"},{"date":"2025-01-01","event":"HIP 138 is adopted by the Helium community; MOBILE token emissions cease and HNT becomes the primary reward token across all Helium sub-networks.","source":"Helium Blog — HNT Returns","source_url":"https://blog.helium.com/hnt-returns-implementation-updates-and-community-q-a-on-hip-138-334aef394f48"},{"date":"2025-01-17","event":"SEC files complaint against Nova Labs in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging unregistered securities sales and investor fraud through false claims about Lime, Nestle, and Salesforce partnerships.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/301920/sec-files-lawsuit-helium-network-creator"},{"date":"2025-04-01","event":"AT&T announces a formal carrier offload partnership with Helium, enabling AT&T subscribers to connect to Helium hotspots via Passpoint roaming.","source":"Fierce Network","source_url":"https://www.fierce-network.com/newswire/att-partners-helium-better-wi-fi-offload"},{"date":"2025-04-11","event":"Nova Labs agrees to pay $200,000 civil penalty to settle SEC investor fraud allegations. The SEC simultaneously dismisses unregistered securities claims against HNT, MOBILE, and IOT tokens with prejudice.","source":"Securities Docket","source_url":"https://www.securitiesdocket.com/2025/04/11/helium-issuer-nova-labs-agrees-to-pay-sec-200k-to-settle-allegations-it-lied-to-investors-about-brand-partnerships/"},{"date":"2025-06-26","event":"Coinbase suspends trading of MOBILE token, citing deprecation following the HIP 138 migration. MOBILE price declines approximately 87% from its December 2024 peak within days.","source":"TradingView/CoinMarketCal","source_url":"https://www.tradingview.com/news/coinmarketcal:8af226535094b:0-helium-mobile-mobile-ribbon-finance-rbn-and-others-coinbase-delisting-26-jun-2025/"},{"date":"2025-10-01","event":"Helium Mobile removes mandatory location data sharing requirement from Zero Plan free tier, replacing it with a minimum monthly data usage requirement.","source":"TMO Report","source_url":"https://tmo.report/2025/10/helium-mobiles-free-plan-no-longer-requires-your-location-data/"},{"date":"2026-01-12","event":"Nova Labs announces discontinuation of the $5 and $20 legacy beta plans effective January 27, 2026, despite prior promotional language promising those rates for the lifetime of the subscription.","source":"TMO Report","source_url":"https://tmo.report/2026/01/helium-mobile-makes-plan-changes-that-rub-long-time-customers-the-wrong-way/"},{"date":"2026-04-28","event":"Helium Mobile discontinues the Zero Plan for new and existing subscribers, simultaneously ending all legacy $5/$20 pricing. Existing Zero Plan subscribers receive notice of forced migration to the $15/month Air Plan by June 11, 2026.","source":"Android Authority","source_url":"https://www.androidauthority.com/helium-mobile-zero-plan-discontinued-3661478/"}]},"v":1}

   Verify offline (run on your own machine)

   python -m src.verify_decision 327719ce-278b-4745-a24b-5bbd1e307babcopy
2. #2reviewby reviewerreviewer

   2026-06-01 17:45:17Z
   Score: 58 → 58 (no score change)
   The investigation page is factually well-grounded on its most important claims: the SEC enforcement action, settlement terms, HIP 138 MOBILE token deprecation, Coinbase delisting, AT&T partnership, and Zero Plan/pricing changes are all confirmed. Two material factual errors were identified: (1) the hotspot count of '98,000 as of Q4 2025' is incorrect — this was the Q2 2025 figure; year-end 2025 hotspot count was 120,000+; and (2) the hotspot expansion characterization '28,100 at the start of [Q1 2025]' is slightly off — that was the Q1 end count, not the start. The page also omits the May 2026 CEO 'parasites' controversy, which is the most recent significant reputational event. The trust_score direction (high concern) is calibrated appropriately given confirmed SEC fraud settlement, confirmed pattern of broken pricing promises, and confirmed token deprecation that materially changed the product's core reward proposition.
   anchoranchored

   chain

   ●mainnet-betaslot 423,639,862

   sig

   4HqkBgYrXNLq…aajfhv56copyexplorer ↗

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   C3SJqcTiNqHq…MzsM5BpVcopysha256 → base58

   verifying row…full verify ↗

   canonical bytes (1283 B) ▸

   {"actor":"reviewer","decided_at":"2026-06-01T17:45:17.661Z","decision":"review","investigation_id":"8b1b9eab-eed2-4072-94e6-38436e552dab","new_score":58,"page_slug":"helium-mobile","prev_score":58,"reason":"The investigation page is factually well-grounded on its most important claims: the SEC enforcement action, settlement terms, HIP 138 MOBILE token deprecation, Coinbase delisting, AT&T partnership, and Zero Plan/pricing changes are all confirmed. Two material factual errors were identified: (1) the hotspot count of '98,000 as of Q4 2025' is incorrect — this was the Q2 2025 figure; year-end 2025 hotspot count was 120,000+; and (2) the hotspot expansion characterization '28,100 at the start of [Q1 2025]' is slightly off — that was the Q1 end count, not the start. The page also omits the May 2026 CEO 'parasites' controversy, which is the most recent significant reputational event. The trust_score direction (high concern) is calibrated appropriately given confirmed SEC fraud settlement, confirmed pattern of broken pricing promises, and confirmed token deprecation that materially changed the product's core reward proposition.","score_delta":0,"sequence_num":2,"submission_content_hash":null,"submission_id":null,"submission_kind":null,"submission_valence":null,"v":1}

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   python -m src.verify_decision 1b82ef3c-421e-4f3f-b191-95aed348868bcopy
3. #3review reviseby judgejudge

   2026-06-01 17:45:17Z
   Score: 58 → 48 (-10)
   The review confirmed all high-severity claims — SEC fraud settlement, MOBILE token deprecation via HIP 138, broken pricing promises, and Zero Plan discontinuation — against Tier 1 and Tier 2 sources. Two factual errors were identified in the network infrastructure sections: claim_findings[17] places the 98,000 hotspot figure at Q4 2025 when Messari data shows it was the Q2 2025 figure (year-end 2025 was 120,000+), and claim_findings[28] conflates Q1 2025 new-hotspot start/end counts with a different total that includes converted legacy hotspots. These are supporting metrics, not core allegations, which limits their severity. The disputed_pct of 14.7% and two high-priority coverage gaps — particularly the May 2026 CEO public controversy that postdates the page — support a revise verdict with a moderate penalty rather than denial.
   anchoranchored

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   ●mainnet-betaslot 423,639,867

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   QYZyvDQgnThx…ZD4J4Fjbcopyexplorer ↗

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   GLkzVzK1JQy2…hKELvn9vcopysha256 → base58

   verifying row…full verify ↗

   canonical bytes (1195 B) ▸

   {"actor":"judge","decided_at":"2026-06-01T17:45:17.661Z","decision":"review_revise","investigation_id":"8b1b9eab-eed2-4072-94e6-38436e552dab","new_score":48,"page_slug":"helium-mobile","prev_score":58,"reason":"The review confirmed all high-severity claims — SEC fraud settlement, MOBILE token deprecation via HIP 138, broken pricing promises, and Zero Plan discontinuation — against Tier 1 and Tier 2 sources. Two factual errors were identified in the network infrastructure sections: claim_findings[17] places the 98,000 hotspot figure at Q4 2025 when Messari data shows it was the Q2 2025 figure (year-end 2025 was 120,000+), and claim_findings[28] conflates Q1 2025 new-hotspot start/end counts with a different total that includes converted legacy hotspots. These are supporting metrics, not core allegations, which limits their severity. The disputed_pct of 14.7% and two high-priority coverage gaps — particularly the May 2026 CEO public controversy that postdates the page — support a revise verdict with a moderate penalty rather than denial.","score_delta":-10,"sequence_num":3,"submission_content_hash":null,"submission_id":null,"submission_kind":null,"submission_valence":null,"v":1}

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   python -m src.verify_decision 6dafaa55-5348-484a-9e6c-68cd590a9248copy