Hotspot Manufacturers

Hub for Helium hotspot manufacturer applications and the Manufacturer Compliance Committee (MCC).

For details on HIP19, please see HIP19: Approval Process For Third-Party Manufacturers.

For a detailed walkthrough of how to submit your own application, please see How to submit a Helium hotspot manufacturer application.

Please use this template to make your proposal. Fork the template and edit it, please do not edit the template directly.

The status of manufacturers in this progress can be viewed here.

Step by step how-to

The HIP19 Program Overview can be reviewed here.

We recommend getting into the Helium community discord as soon as possible and joining the conversations. Establishing a trusted reputation among the community is critical to your success. Manufacturers are encouraged to provide an introduction and direct interested parties to your own communication channels (e.g. company email or support). It is of the utmost importance to appropriately manage expectations on your product, the cost, and production timelines. This information should be included in your application.

Fees in USD (updated May 2023)

• HIP19 proposal (administrative costs for each application review): $1000
• Helium Foundation KYC: $2000
• Full/Light Hardware Audit: if using ECC608 for security: $5000
• Full/Light Hardware Audit: other security implementations: $7000
• Hardware Audit: additional fee for Full or Light indoor and outdoor arriving at the same time with identical hardware layout: $2000
• Hardware Audit: additional fee for Full or Light indoor and outdoor arriving at the same time with different hardware layout will require a separate hardware audit: $5000
• 5G Hardware Audit: $8000 per model
• Radio Certifications: additional radio certificates submitted after the initial MCC vote: $2000

Application Template

Make a copy of the TEMPLATE.md file in this repository and put it in the same directory, i.e. 0019-third-party-manufacturers/name-of-your-company.md Fill it out; if you have questions or concerns about a particular question, ask on GitHub or on Discord. Many questions are required, and leaving blank will delay your application. Submit a pull request. There is a step-by-step guide here.

Send Hotspot for Hardware Audit

• The fee for hardware audits is between $3000 and $8000 USD depending on the model and security implementation.
• At a high level, the hardware audit includes the verification of: security methods, radio configurations, and the integration of Helium software, such as the Miner or the Light Gateway application.
• The publicly available hardware audit procedure is available at this link. Please be sure to review this link as it tends to answer many of the auditing questions that we receive.

MCC Diligence & KYC

• Per typical KYC/AML procedures, proof of identity for major shareholders (25%+ ownership) will be expected to be provided privately to representatives from the Helium Foundation. This will be attested and publicly confirmed by those representatives. Details for this will be provided after your application has been submitted on GitHub.
• More information about this step can be reviewed here.

Complete Onboarding Integration

The onboarding integration ensures your hotspot will be recognized by the blockchain and Hotspot owners are able to appropriately provide proof of coverage and mine HNT. Instructions for this step will be provided during the HIP19 application process.

Complete Radio Certification

FCC/CE/WPC or other applicable radio certification. Provide certification for the geography where you plan to take orders.

Manufacturing Compliance Committee Approval

This is the final step before the Manufacturing Compliance Committee provides its ‘stamp of approval’ ahead of a manufacturer taking pre-orders. We complete this step for full transparency. If you’ve completed all the above steps and been available in the community discord chat to answer questions, you should have no concerns about receiving MCC approval.

Pre-Orders

Once the HIP19 application has been MCC approved, you are in the best position to take pre-orders as you see fit. Pre-orders before MCC approval will result in a minimum 6-month suspension, and may result in your HIP19 application being denied. A wait-list is permitted if you are not collecting payments.