Roam: Empowering communities and leading the future of decentralized wireless connectivity

"From the very beginning, our ultimate goal has been to make WiFi access as seamless as possible. We empower users through decentralized solutions," said Jeffrey, co-founder of Roam. Three years later, Roam has become a leading project in the DePIN space, with 1.9 million registered users and 1.1 million self-built WiFi nodes, covering nearly 200 countries and regions, moving closer to the vision described by Jeffrey.

The Perfect Integration of Telecommunications and Web3

Today, the telecommunications industry is facing unprecedented transformation challenges, and user demand has become the key to successful transformation. Traditional telecom services, due to rigid packages, outdated technology, and lack of flexibility, can no longer meet the expectations of modern users. Meanwhile, free applications like WeChat and WhatsApp provide global users with convenient and affordable communication options, revealing the limitations of traditional telecom services. To address these challenges, a shift in thinking is necessary, adopting a completely new approach—user-centric, empowering communities, and driving innovation.

Roam was born to meet this challenge. Founded in 2021, Roam's initial mission was to solve various problems encountered during the global expansion of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) OpenRoaming™ program. Today, Roam has successfully redefined the telecommunications industry with its decentralized free wireless network. By integrating Decentralized Identifiers (DID) and Verifiable Credentials (VC) technology, Roam ensures user privacy and data security, providing seamless and secure network connections for global users. Most importantly, Roam encourages user participation in network construction and validation through incentive mechanisms, making users not only consumers of the network but also important contributors and builders of the ecosystem.

What sets Roam apart is its ability to attract both Web3 and Web2 users, becoming a model for the widespread adoption of Web3. By providing network services that everyone can use, Roam cleverly builds a bridge between Web2 and Web3. Over the past year, Roam has rapidly expanded its registered users and WiFi nodes through a "free usage, user-first" model, gaining the attention of traditional telecom operators, who are beginning to view Roam as a new paradigm of user-centric telecom services.

Roam's success has also attracted the attention of the capital market. By the end of 2023, Roam successfully completed a $5 million strategic financing round led by Anagram and Volt Capital. Following that, in April 2024, Samsung Next also made a strategic investment in Roam, marking Samsung Next's only investment in the DePIN field that year.

By combining Web3 technology with the telecommunications industry, Roam not only reshapes the way we connect but also lays the foundation for a decentralized future, driving a new chapter in global connectivity.

Diverse Incentives to Attract User Participation in the Roam Network

Roam understands that the sustainable development of the ecosystem relies on widespread community participation. Therefore, unlike the centralized operating model of the traditional telecom industry, Roam has always focused on "ecosystem collaboration" and "community participation," breaking the closed nature of traditional telecom services. Through its open and decentralized network, Roam provides global users with innovative incentive mechanisms that allow them to directly participate in network construction and operation.

To encourage active participation, Roam has launched a WiFi node addition mechanism and, through updates to hardware products Rainier MAX60 and Baker MAX30, has transformed routers from mere connection tools into "gateways" for users to upgrade their networks and earn Roam Points. By sharing WiFi nodes, users can not only enjoy seamless and secure global connectivity but also earn Roam Points, contributing to the expansion of the network.

In September 2024, Roam further introduced the eSIM feature, effectively lowering the participation threshold. Users can simply check in daily through the Roam App to receive global roaming data and enjoy free mobile data services. Since the launch of eSIM, Roam's user count surged from 750,000 to 1 million in just one month, further validating the effectiveness of Roam's community-driven model.

Every interaction within the Roam network rewards users. Roam Points, as the core incentive mechanism of the platform, allow users to convert these points into $ROAM tokens after the future Token Generation Event (TGE). From activating routers to checking in, every action is rewarded, providing users with a sustainable income model and helping them lower the investment threshold for devices, encouraging more users to join Roam's ecosystem.

According to the Solana DePIN report released by Syndica Research in November 2024, Roam's user growth rate surged 4.6 times in one month, with the number of new WiFi nodes exceeding 100,000 each month for three consecutive months, and the daily interaction volume of the Roam network has surpassed 900,000, showcasing user engagement that exceeds traditional telecom service providers.

Roam's success demonstrates the immense potential of decentralized collaboration in the telecommunications industry. Its ability to build a large user base in a short time highlights the feasibility of the decentralized model. More importantly, it drives a fundamental shift in the way we connect—within the world of Roam, users are not just consumers; they are builders of the network.

What Roam brings is a movement that allows everyone to take control of connectivity and be part of innovation. By combining Web3 concepts with real-world needs, Roam is setting a new standard for the future of decentralized communication.

Deepening the DePIN Ecosystem, Building Physical Layer 1

Looking back at 2024, Roam has successfully stood out among numerous DePIN projects through relentless efforts. To lower the entry barrier, Roam partnered with Huma Finance to launch the hardware purchase loan program (Roam Loan Program), enabling more users to participate in the construction of the Roam ecosystem.

The Roam Loan Program offers users flexible installment payment options, allowing them to purchase Roam mining machines, such as Rainier MAX60 and Baker MAX30, with a 30% down payment, while the remaining amount is financed by Huma Finance. Users repay the loan through mining rewards and early airdrops, and once the loan is paid off, all future rewards will belong to the users.

Additionally, the incentive mechanism for Roam mining machines is quite rich; users can earn 3,000 Roam Points by activating their devices and can earn up to 210 Roam Points daily. Users who registered before the TGE can also participate in the airdrop of 20 million $ROAM tokens.

The launch of the Roam Loan Program marks the implementation of the first phase of Roam Growth, which is a core component of the Roam ecosystem aimed at helping users transform network devices into economic tools, maximizing user profits and simplifying operations. Through Roam Growth, Roam not only provides users with a stable source of income but also promotes innovation in decentralized network applications and ecosystem construction.

Roam Growth is one of the key modules for Roam to build the Telecom Data Layer. Through a decentralized WiFi network and DID+VC authentication mechanism, Roam will enable seamless data connections between people, devices, assets, and AI, fostering the formation of the Blockchain of Things (BoT) ecosystem.

At the same time, Roam has also launched the Roam Discovery platform to facilitate collaboration among DePIN projects. By providing the world's largest decentralized wireless network, Roam Discovery offers rich resource and technical support for users and project parties, promoting further development of the DePIN ecosystem.

Roam: Leading the Future of Decentralized Wireless Connectivity

In September 2024, Roam proposed a plan to build Physical Layer 1, and three months later, Roam established partnerships with 20 leading projects to steadily advance the construction of decentralized connectivity. Since December 2024, Roam has maintained the top ranking on DePINscan, with active nodes exceeding 1.1 million and user numbers reaching 1.9 million. In the recently released 2024 DePIN annual report by Messari, there are five DePIN projects with over a million active nodes globally, and Roam is one of them. Additionally, Roam is also one of the typical cases of hardware-based DeWi, representing the profitability of network services through the popularization of WiFi networks.

Roam ranks fourth in the Messari 2024 annual report's DePIN hardware node leaderboard

The launch of the Roam Loan Program and Roam Discovery marks an important step for Roam in building a global open decentralized wireless network. As Jeffrey envisioned, Roam has become a model for large-scale applications in Web3. With the advancement of the 2025 roadmap, Roam is not only redefining the telecommunications industry but also promoting the development of decentralized ecosystems, creating a user-centric future. In this ever-evolving world, Roam is not just connecting devices; it is connecting lives, proving that community-driven innovation can change the world.