Helium Transition to Solana: What do we know so far?

The Helium Network is a decentralized wireless protocol that enables secure and efficient communication between connected devices. Recently, the Helium Foundation proposed HIP 70, which outlines the migration of Proof-of-Coverage and Data Transfer Accounting to Oracles, as well as migrating transactions and accounts from a sovereign Layer 1 to Solana's highly performant blockchain. As of January 20, 2023, there's yet to be a specific date set for migration, but the Helium Foundation has expressed confidence that it to be completed by the end of Q1 2023. Let's unpack what we know about this transition so far.

What Are the Benefits of Migrating?

HIP 70 offers many improvements to the Helium ecosystem. For starters, Proof-of-Coverage and Data Transfers activity will be redesigned to be performed by off-chain Oracles instead of being processed on-chain. Offloading these 2 massive network aspects leaves Helium only to manage transactions and accounts, which opens an opportunity to choose a more scalable, cost-efficient, fast, and reliable Layer 1 blockchain.

Transitioning to Solana will provide higher throughput and faster transaction speeds for users on the network. This will enable more users on the network without sacrificing scalability or security. Additionally, transitioning to Solana will reduce transaction costs associated with gas fees — which can be expensive when dealing with large amounts of data — and make it easier for developers to create applications on top of the network. Finally, transitioning will reduce latency and enable near-instantaneous transactions. All in all, these benefits should make it easier for users to interact with each other on the network while maintaining its high levels of security and reliability.

What Is Known About Migration So Far?

The migration process is expected to take place gradually over a period of several months to ensure that all stakeholders have ample time to adjust and prepare for the transition.

During AMA 5, Abhay Kumar, CEO of Helium Foundation, shared that transition dates will be announced at least a month before to ensure that all affected parties are well prepared for the migration.

As part of this process, the Helium Foundation has been working closely with their partners at Solana Labs in order to ensure that all aspects of this transition are handled correctly and securely. Helium Foundation also provides plenty of support during this time to ensure maximizing community education and minimizing any questions or confusion. To learn more about available official support resources, visit our Helium-Solana transition directory.

The transition from Layer 1 sovereign blockchain over to the Solana blockchain is an exciting development for those who use or are interested in using the Helium Network. With higher throughput rates, faster transaction speeds, and reduced gas fees associated with larger data transfers, many advantages come with making this changeover.
While there is still much work left before this transition can go live on mainnet (no date has been officially set yet), rest assured that all stakeholders are working diligently together to ensure everything runs smoothly when it does eventually launch! It should be a thrilling time once we get there!