Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

mk313

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Feb 6, 2012
2,323
1,368
Anyone here have experience with the Helium MVNO service that works with T Mobile? I was at the Apple Store this weekend, and went to log onto their wifi network & noticed that I was already on the Helium.Tmobile wifi network.

I had never heard of it before, but it looks like it somehow uses subscriber's internet connections and somehow routes T Mobile traffic onto that, and then pays the subscriber in crypto.

I have no idea how or if the system works, but it was interesting that my phone (T Mobile subscriber, but not a helium subscriber), automatically logged into the helium network. Overall, I had no issues with it, but I also have no idea how often that is happening, as the only reason I noticed at all was because I was going into the wifi settings.
 
Just Google it and it will tell you everything you want to know.
Not really. I ha googled it & it's not clear how regular T-Mobile customers are offloaded to helium, what the coverage map looks like, how often people are offloaded, etc.

I'm not a helium subscriber, but somehow ended up on their network automatically. That has to be some kind of carrier setting that T Mobile did. I don't have a problem with it necessarily. I generally get better coverage on wifi than mobile, but I am interested in is, since it's something I've never heard of but am now a part of.
 
I would stay away. Their model is not privacy friendly in any way.
Thanks. I am not interested in using their service. I am a regular post-paid subscriber to T mobile & have been since they bought Sprint. I have no interest in changing carriers, but at some point, T Mobile offloaded me to the helium extension of their network. Which is what surprised me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jackbequickly
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.