NEW YORK — Noble Mobile announced it is acquiring Helium Mobile, gaining access to its customer base and its crypto-powered cellular network. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Noble Mobile, founded by Andrew Yang, currently leases spectrum from T-Mobile to serve its customers. Following the acquisition, the company will begin using the Helium Network—a decentralized system of cellular hotspots—to deliver service. Yang said in an interview with Fortune that Helium’s pricing and service would not change for the foreseeable future.
Helium Mobile has accumulated nearly 600,000 sign-ups, a figure that includes former customers who have since unsubscribed. The business has seen its cumulative sign-ups more than double over the past year, though it is not profitable, according to Helium chief operating officer Frank Mong. Helium Mobile was launched to demonstrate the value of Helium’s decentralized network of individual hotspot operators.
As part of the transaction, Nova Labs—the company behind Helium—will retain its non-mobile operations, including a data offloading program designed for large mobile network operators. Spinning off its cellular business will allow Nova Labs to focus on this segment. The company closed a multi-year deal with a major U.S. carrier at the end of 2025 and had approximately ten interested buyers for its mobile unit, Mong said.
“We certainly were not looking [to acquire a mobile network business], but when our conversations with Helium sped up and deepened, we knew it was the right thing to do,” Yang said in an interview with Fortune.
The Helium crypto tokens will remain under the control of the Helium DAO, a decentralized autonomous organization. Helium initially built an Internet of Things network using hotspots that rewarded contributors with crypto tokens created in 2019. The company later pivoted to 5G and launched a nationwide unlimited cellular plan in December 2023.
No independent assessment of Noble Mobile’s claims was available.