HIP-131 is a Helium Improvement Proposal written and voted on by the Helium Community members. HIP-131 aims to address the issue of malicious actors exploiting high-reward areas within the Helium Network without providing legitimate coverage. To combat this, the proposal extends existing anti-gaming measures of HIP-125 to target these areas. Hotspots located in designated high-reward zones will be required to be validated by Call Detail Records (CDR) data.
Areas Affected: The HIP affects Oracle Hex Boost areas within Point of Interests (POI) designated as A** and B** zones. These are the hexes with an Oracle Hex Boost multiplier of 0.5 or higher. You can check designation of hexes in the Helium Mobile Coverage Planner.
Verification Requirement: Wi-Fi Hotspots in these areas must be verified by Helium Mobile subscriber usage that can be correlated with CDR data. CBRS radios must be verified by both Helium Mobile and CBRS Beta usage. See How HIP-131 Verification Works? for an example.
Grace Period: A grace period of 7 days before HIP-131 going into effect is provided for deployers of Wi-Fi Hotspots to become familiar with the new requirements and take necessary actions. Deployers of CBRS radios will have an extended grace period of 21 days to allow for verification.
Penalty for Non-Compliance: Hotspots and radios without validation will have their Oracle Hex Boost multiplier reduced to 0.00x and will not receive Proof of Coverage rewards. Non-compliant devices can still receive Data Transfer rewards.
Re-Qualifying: A hotspot can regain Oracle Hex Boost multipliers for hexes it covers after verification.
Service Provider: Helium Mobile and other Service Providers that might join the Helium network will have the authority to reduce a Hotspot's Oracle Hex Boost multiplier if they have evidence of malicious activity.
Dispute Resolution: Deployers can open support tickets with the Helium Mobile service provider if they believe they have been unfairly flagged.
Timeframe: The proposal is initially set for approximately 5 months until more verification measures are in place, but may be extended if necessary.
Take a moment to review the following CDR FAQ's for more information: