Helium Network is making a significant push into the Brazilian market through a strategic joint venture with Brazilian Wi-Fi provider Mambo WiFi, marking a key milestone in the company’s global expansion efforts and addressing the country’s persistent connectivity gap, where more than half the population lacks reliable internet access and over 100 million people depend on shared or public Wi-Fi for online access. The collaboration leverages Mambo’s existing 40,000 Wi-Fi hotspots as the foundation for the Helium Network in Brazil, enabling the people-powered wireless model where individuals and businesses deploy Hotspots that act as mini cell towers to extend mobile coverage and help carriers offload data to rapidly scale coverage across the country as local carriers adopt this decentralized approach, with Helium’s network already spanning over 120,000 Hotspots across the U.S. and Mexico and serving nearly 2 million daily users.
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“Our collaboration with Mambo represents a significant milestone in expanding the Helium Network internationally,” said Mario Di Dio, GM of Network at Helium. “Together, we’re tackling the telco market in Brazil and pioneering a new model where people-powered networks deliver affordable, reliable coverage at scale. Mambo’s deep carrier experience and national footprint make them the perfect partner to accelerate this shift, while setting the stage for future carrier collaborations internationally.” The partnership aims to demonstrate how people-powered networks can enter and scale in new regions faster and more cost-effectively than traditional telco infrastructure, and Helium plans to work with local carriers to enhance coverage for subscribers via carrier offload while reducing infrastructure costs. “Through this collaboration, Mambo and Helium are bringing cutting-edge wireless technology to Brazil’s telco market,” said Katie Angelo Pierozzi, Co-founder and CEO of Mambo WiFi. “Our 40,000 access points will serve as a foundation for the Helium Network, enabling local carriers to adopt this people-powered model to close Brazil’s longstanding connectivity gap, bringing reliable and accessible connectivity to millions of users across the country.” Additionally, Helium has launched an International Waitlist to invite communities, enterprises, and deployment partners worldwide to express interest in bringing the Helium Network to new regions, helping guide the next phase of its global deployment strategy.