The signal
Helium removed connection fees for Helium Plus operators on August 18. The change applies automatically to payouts in US dollars, USDC or HNT, with no minimum traffic requirement. One-time onboarding charges have also been waived. The programme runs until further notice.
Why it matters
Helium Plus lets a venue or network manager use existing Wi-Fi to carry participating mobile customers’ traffic. Its service page says the system uses Passpoint. The Wi-Fi Alliance confirms that this technology automates network selection and authentication. Removing charges could therefore lower the entry cost for venues that already have compatible equipment.
What changes
Operators now keep the reward calculated by Helium without a connection-fee deduction. Channel partners that introduce a venue still receive their share, and existing agreements continue to apply. Helium is also offering premium support to deployments carrying more than 1,000 GB per month.
The caveat
Helium does not disclose the old fee schedule, the number of affected deployments or their average revenue. No independent source has yet confirmed the impact on payouts. Those omissions make it impossible to quantify the actual saving or determine who funds the waiver over time.
What to watch
Useful evidence would include before-and-after pricing, the number of newly activated venues, transferred traffic, net operator revenue and any end date. Public or verifiable payout records would also show whether this is a durable cost reduction or a temporary promotion.