In a perfect world, the Internet works like tap water: you turn it on and it flows freely. In complete transparency. No one really wants to think about a “best connection point,” SIM cards, or the nearest cell towers. Users simply want a fast and stable connection no matter where they are. The good news is that they get it quietly without even knowing it.
The Internet we have is broken (and expensive)
Traditional telecommunications infrastructures are heavy and expensive. Each tower requires a site lease, permits, maintenance and marketing. Each expansion takes months or even years (in terms of construction and paperwork) and can cost between $5 million and $100 million, meaning that installing just one small cell tower can drain a company’s 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.
This system no longer makes economic sense. Telecom companies can no longer afford to spend billions on connections that don’t improve and become increasingly difficult to maintain with growing numbers of users around the world.
The good news is that a better alternative already exists in people’s homes and devices, even if it’s not visible on billboards.
DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) transforms the Wi-Fi routers around you into a new type of connectivity.
From towers to routers
According to crypto asset manager Grayscale, DePIN is already widely used in daily life and the company calls it an “important” investment opportunity.
For what? DePIN takes a software-first approach, meaning it uses what already exists. A small app or firmware update turns a typical Wi-Fi router into a small part of a larger network. When you are nearby, your device automatically connects through this router.
With DePIN’s growing popularity, individuals and businesses are already implementing it: Nodle, a smartphone-based DePIN, turns smartphones into network nodes that relay IoT data over existing mobile infrastructure, while Helium Mobile leverages community-deployed hotspots and small cells to expand 5G coverage and offload traffic for partner carriers in U.S. cities.
In dense city blocks, DePIN-like networks are used to fill coverage gaps that traditional mobile infrastructure struggles to reach.
Another example outside of Wi-Fi is DIMO, a DePIN network for connected cars that allows drivers to share vehicle data while maintaining control and earning rewards. By 2025, its network had about 425,000 connected vehicles, more than 300 applications built on its data, and about $1.5 billion worth of cars broadcasting information in the protocol. This kind of scale shows that DePIN is already reaching everyday drivers, not just crypto insiders.
DePIN startups have onboarded millions of people on their platforms and are adding tens of thousands of users daily. Last June alone, the sector’s market capitalization was estimated at $25 billion and is expected to reach $3.5 trillion by 2028.
Behind the scenes, DePIN operates on a simple economic design with a network token that coordinates incentives and settlements between routers (“nodes”) and stable network credits that guarantee predictable prices for telecom and enterprise users.
For telecom companies, DePIN is a profitable 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 have realized the benefits of offloading have been doing so for years, with experts describing the process as “crucial to mitigating the growing demands on network infrastructure.”
But venture capital firm a16z crypto believes DePIN exists beyond telecommunications. In a recent report, he highlighted AI, healthcare, energy, transportation and robotics as other sectors that DePIN can revolutionize.
Wi-Fi as a source of income
Across the world, people who run coworking spaces or small offices are now using Wi-Fi to generate more revenue streams for themselves. Because when the economics align for everyone involved, technology doesn’t just spread, it stays.
If your internet connection at the airport suddenly cuts out on the guest portal, your phone in a mall automatically finds faster Wi-Fi, and the evening connection lag at home disappears, chances are you’ve already used DePIN. You have not installed a wallet or purchased a token; the network simply chose the closest node and routed your traffic in the shortest and cheapest way.
Using Wi-Fi as a source of income benefits everyone involved. For users, this means fewer dead zones, smoother connections and lower bills. 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 is really here
Technology matures when people stop talking about it. No one says, “I use TCP/IP” or “this application runs on the cloud.” They just use it.
Mass adoption doesn’t happen when crypto enthusiasts start using it. This happens when your grandmother does it without even realizing it. And she already does it.
