Helium is a US-based start-up that has been trying, since it was founded in 2013, to initiate a new way of building cellular networks, that could change the economics and democratize the platform. Its biggest chance to hit the commercial mainstream came earlier this year when it was approached by Boris Renski, co-founder of FreedomFi, which has built over 30 private cellular networks in the USA using its low cost platform and shared CBRS spectrum. Now, FreedomFi has started shipping Helium 5G gateways, which allow consumers to mine cryptocurrency as payment for opening their gateways to others, enabling service providers to offload mobile traffic. This model echoes the homespot idea in the WiFi market, which was pioneered by companies like…