In a perfect world, the Internet works like tap water: you turn it on and it flows. Hassle-free. Nobody really wants to think about a ‘better connection point’, SIM card or the nearest cell towers. Users just want a fast, stable connection wherever they are. The good thing is that they quietly get it without even knowing it.
The internet we have is broken (and expensive)
Traditional telecommunications infrastructure is heavy and expensive. Each tower requires a ground rent, permits, maintenance and marketing. Each expansion takes months or years (with both construction and red tape) and can cost from $5 million to $100 million, meaning installing even a small cell tower can drain a company’s finances by up to $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 do not improve and become harder and harder to maintain with more users around the globe.
The good news is that a better alternative is already in people’s homes and devices, even if you can’t see it on billboards.
DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) turns the Wi-Fi routers around you into a new form of connection.
From towers to routers
According to crypto asset manager Grayscale, DePIN is already widely used in everyday life, and the company calls it a “significant” investment opportunity.
Why? DePIN takes a software-first approach, meaning it uses what already exists. A lightweight app or firmware update turns a regular Wi-Fi router into a small piece of a larger network. When you are nearby, your device will automatically connect through this router.
With DePIN’s growing popularity, people and businesses are already implementing it: Nodle, a smartphone-based DePIN, turns smartphones into network nodes that relay IoT data over existing cellular infrastructure, while Helium Mobile relies on community-deployed hotspots and small cells to expand 5G coverage and relieve traffic for partner carriers in US cities.
In dense city blocks, DePIN-style networks are being used to pitch coverage gaps that traditional mobile infrastructure has difficulty reaching.
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 it and earning rewards. By 2025, its network counted about 425,000 connected vehicles, over 300 apps built on top of its data, and about $1.5 billion worth of cars streaming information to the protocol. That kind of scale shows that DePIN is already reaching everyday drivers, not just crypto insiders.
DePIN startups have introduced millions of people to their platforms and are adding tens of thousands of users daily. Last June alone, the industry’s market value was estimated at $25 billion and is expected to reach $3.5 trillion by 2028.
Behind the scenes, DePIN runs on a simple economic design with a network token that coordinates incentives and settlements between routers (“nodes”) and stable network credits that ensure predictable pricing for telecom and enterprise users.
For telecommunications companies, DePIN is a cost-effective engine. Offloading traffic to local Wi-Fi nodes reduces costs per gigabytes, especially indoors and during peak hours.
Network offloading is nothing new. Data shows that platforms that realized the benefits of offloading have been doing so for years, with experts describing the process as “crucial for addressing the increasing demands on network infrastructure.”
But venture capital firm a16z crypto believes that DePIN exists beyond telecommunications. In a recent report, it outlined AI, healthcare, energy, transportation and robotics as other sectors that DePIN can revolutionize.
Wi-Fi as a source of income
All over the world, people running co-working spaces or small offices are now using Wi-Fi as a way to generate more revenue streams for themselves. Because when the economy is in line for everyone involved, technology doesn’t just spread, it sticks.
If your internet at the airport suddenly disconnects at the guest portal, your phone at a mall automatically finds faster Wi-Fi, and the evening connection lag at home just disappears, chances are you’ve already used DePIN. You have not installed a wallet or purchased a token; the network simply chose the nearest node and routed your traffic the shortest and cheapest way.
Using Wi-Fi as a revenue stream 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 reaches maturity when people stop talking about it. No one says, “I’m using TCP/IP” or “this app runs on the cloud.” They just use it.
Mass adoption doesn’t happen when crypto enthusiasts start using it. It happens when your grandmother does it without even realizing it. And she already does.
