In a perfect world, the Internet works like tap water: you turn it on and it flows. Seamlessly. No one really wants to think about a “better connection point,” a SIM card, or the nearest cell tower. Users just want fast, stable connections no matter where they are. The good news is they get it quietly and without even realizing it.
Our internet is broken (and expensive)
Traditional telecommunications infrastructure is cumbersome and expensive. Each tower requires site leasing, permitting, maintenance and marketing. Each expansion takes months or years (including construction and red tape) and can cost anywhere from $5 million to $100 million, meaning installing even one small cell tower can drain a business’ finances by as much as $300,000.
In this system, we don’t really pay for the gigabytes we use – we pay for the bureaucracy built around them.
The system no longer makes economic sense. Telcos can no longer afford to spend billions on connections that cannot be improved and are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain as the number of users increases around the world.
The good news is that better alternatives are already showing up in people’s homes and devices, even if you don’t see it on billboards.
DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) is transforming the Wi-Fi routers around you into a new kind of connection.
From tower to router
Crypto asset management firm Grayscale said DePIN is already widely used in daily life, calling it a “significant” investment opportunity.
Why? DePIN takes a software-first approach, which means it uses things that already exist. A lightweight application or firmware update can turn a regular Wi-Fi router into a small part of a larger network. When you’re nearby, your devices automatically connect through the router.
As DePIN grows in popularity, people and businesses are already implementing it: The smartphone-based DePIN Nodle turns smartphones into network nodes that relay IoT data through existing mobile infrastructure, while Helium Mobile relies on community-deployed hotspots and small cells to extend 5G coverage and offload traffic for partner carriers in U.S. cities.
In dense urban neighborhoods, DePIN-style networks are used to fill coverage holes that are difficult to reach with traditional mobile infrastructure.
Another example outside of Wi-Fi is DIMO, a DePIN network for connected cars that allows drivers to share vehicle data while maintaining control of the vehicle and earning rewards. By 2025, its network will have about 425,000 connected vehicles, more than 300 applications built on its data, and about $1.5 billion worth of cars transmitting information into the protocol. This scale shows that DePIN has reached everyday drivers, not just cryptocurrency insiders.
DePIN startups have attracted millions of people to their platform and are adding tens of thousands of users every day. The industry’s market capitalization was estimated at $25 billion last June alone and is expected to reach $3.5 trillion by 2028.
Behind the scenes, DePIN operates on a simple economic design, with its network token coordinating incentives and settlements between routers (“nodes”), and stable network credit, ensuring predictable pricing for telecom and enterprise users.
For telcos, DePIN is a cost-effectiveness engine. Offloading traffic to local Wi-Fi nodes reduces cost per gigabyte, especially indoors and during peak hours.
Network offloading is nothing new. Data shows that platforms that realize the benefits of offloading have been doing so for years, with experts describing the process as “critical to alleviating the growing demands on network infrastructure.”
But venture capital firm a16z crypto believes DePIN exists outside of telecommunications. In a recent report, it outlined areas where DePIN could revolutionize artificial intelligence, healthcare, energy, transportation and robotics.
Wi-Fi as a revenue source
All over the world, people who run coworking spaces or small offices are now using Wi-Fi as a way to create additional revenue streams for themselves. Because when economic benefits accrue to all participants, technology not only spreads but persists.
If you’re suddenly disconnected at the airport’s visitor portal, your phone at the mall automatically finds faster Wi-Fi, and the connection lag at home disappears at night, you’ve probably used DePIN. You don’t install a wallet or buy tokens; the network simply chooses the nearest node and routes your traffic in a shorter, cheaper way.
Using Wi-Fi as a revenue source benefits everyone involved. For users, this means fewer dead zones, smoother connections, and lower fees. For venue owners, Wi-Fi stops being a sunk cost and starts generating revenue. For operators, coverage becomes flexible, fast and cost-effective.
When adoption actually comes
A technology matures when people stop talking about it. No one says “I’m using TCP/IP” or “this application runs on the cloud”. They just use it.
Mass adoption isn’t going to happen when cryptocurrency enthusiasts start using it. This is what happens when your grandma does it without realizing it. She has already done so.