Covering more than 140 countries and owning more than 270,000 nodes, why Roam is firmly at the top of the DeWi track

Article source: Roam

Roam is the only Web3 project among the 11 enterprise alliances of the WBA OpenRoaming plan. With its unique token incentive scheme and socialized growth system, the Roam ecosystem currently has more than 280,000 users, more than 270,000 nodes, and covers more than 140 countries. Roam has now surpassed Helium 5G in terms of node scale and has secured its position at the top of the DeWi track. The WBA also has high hopes for Roam and expects it to contribute 20% to the overall OpenRoaming network node growth in the next few years.

OpenRoaming: Seamless Wi-Fi Experience

With the continuous technical iteration of the 802.11 series of wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, especially the further innovation of Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) in recent years, the data transmission speed has been greatly improved. At the same time, with the general integration of Wi-Fi functions in modern electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and smart home devices, Wi-Fi networks are becoming one of the most important infrastructures at present.

At present, most public places usually use Wi-Fi networks as supporting services. At this stage, the scale of public Wi-Fi networks in the world has reached nearly 700 million, and the number is still growing at an annual rate of 10%. However, even so, public Wi-Fi networks are not convenient for users to use. In fact, most public Wi-Fi networks come from private routing devices, and a small number come from government or municipal, service provider (ISP) hotspots, community networks, commercial Wi-Fi network operators, etc. These Wi-Fi networks usually have some regional restrictions, and almost all require cumbersome connection steps, including repeated logins, reconnections, shared passwords, and redundant registrations. For example, a user who is traveling locally or internationally will find it difficult to get continuous Wi-Fi network connection support, and needs to constantly authenticate and connect to new Wi-Fi network hotspots.

At the same time, public Wi-Fi networks also face some security and privacy information issues. A typical example is that in 2017, a security researcher demonstrated how to perform a man-in-the-middle attack on the public Wi-Fi network of a Starbucks coffee shop. He created a fake Wi-Fi hotspot with a similar name to Starbucks' official Wi-Fi. When a user connects to this hotspot, he can monitor and manipulate the user's network traffic, including redirecting the user to a malicious website. The security issues facing public Wi-Fi are also constantly receiving attention.

In order to create a seamless, secure Wi-Fi network system that does not require manual login, in 2019, the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) promoted a technical standard called OpenRoaming. The OpenRoaming technical solution supports users without logging in or authenticating every time they connect to a new Wi-Fi network. Once users are authenticated in any network that supports OpenRoaming, their devices can automatically connect to other participating networks for truly seamless roaming. At the same time, it uses WPA3 and WBA's Passpoint technology to ensure that all data transmissions are encrypted, providing a security level comparable to that of mobile networks. OpenRoaming is suitable for a variety of scenarios, including airports, stadiums, hotels, offices, and public spaces, and can provide users with a consistent network experience.

The penetration rate of OpenRoaming is only about 0.6%

In fact, after the OpenRoaming technology was first introduced to the market, in addition to WBA, Internet technology and communication giants were the main promoters, including Cisco, Google, ATT, Boingo Wireless, Samsung, etc.

Of course, the promotion method of traditional technology companies is usually top-down. For example, Cisco and Samsung integrate OpenRoaming technology into their network equipment and mobile devices to ensure that the devices can seamlessly access Wi-Fi networks that support OpenRoaming. ATT and Boingo Wireless promote the concept and advantages of OpenRoaming by establishing alliances with partners in different industries. These companies also try to implement OpenRoaming pilot projects in specific areas or places (such as airports, large conference centers, etc.) to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the technology and serve as a practical case to demonstrate the potential of OpenRoaming.

Although OpenRoaming itself has great potential in promoting the experience of shared Wi-Fi, its effectiveness depends on the number and coverage of participating networks. The large-scale adoption of OpenRoaming usually relies on the broad participation of service providers, but the program is promoted from leading enterprises to small and medium-sized enterprises. Cost and profitability issues will lead to poor penetration. Potential obstacles include some equipment investment costs and huge initial education costs. In most regions or scenarios, there are few Wi-Fi networks that can support OpenRoaming, and users usually cannot experience the advantages of seamless connection. On the other hand, the OpenRoaming standard also has certain adaptability requirements for devices. Not all devices support the Passpoint technology required by OpenRoaming, so users need to use compatible devices to enjoy the convenience of automatic connection. Therefore, at present, for many small and medium-sized cities with underdeveloped Internet awareness, the penetration rate of OpenRoaming is extremely low.

Currently, data shows that there are about 3 million OpenRoaming nodes available worldwide. According to the market size of 628 million Wi-Fi users, only 0.6% of Wi-Fi networks are connected to OpenRoaming. This means that it may be far from enough to promote OpenRoaming only on the enterprise side. A larger driving force is needed to promote its development, such as allowing a wider range of small and medium-sized enterprises to join the alliance and allowing C-end users to become promoters. On the other hand, the extremely low access rate also means that there is huge room for development in this field.

On the bright side, with Roam (formerly Metabolx) joining the OpenRoaming Enterprise Alliance, it is building a pipeline for a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises and C-end users to become promoters of OpenRoaming in a Web3 way, and jointly driving the coverage and number of users of OpenRoaming network nodes with traditional communication industry leaders such as Boingo Wireless, Cisco, GlobalReach Technology, and Intel.

As the only Web3 enterprise among the 11 alliance enterprises, Roam is expected to enable all potential roles to spontaneously become promoters of the development of OpenRoaming by building a DePIN system driven by a token economy model, and is expected to significantly reduce the threshold for small and medium-sized enterprises and C-end users to access OpenRoaming, while earning income from their contributions to OpenRoaming. It is reported that Roam's decentralized backend and hardware will eliminate the technical and cost barriers to deploying OpenRoaming (reducing economic costs by 50% on average), enabling it to enter everyone's daily life and allowing all roles to promote the process in a bottom-up manner. The WBA also has high hopes for Roam and expects it to contribute 20% to the overall OpenRoaming network growth in the next few years.

Roam becomes a key factor in promoting the large-scale adoption of OpenRoaming

Focus on Roam, which is a DePIN-driven Wireless that establishes a Web3 protocol layer between Wi-Fi networks, OpenRoaming, and users. This protocol layer supports enterprise users or individual users with network capabilities (bandwidth capabilities or Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities) to join OpenRoaming through Roam routing devices or mobile devices, and provide free services to users with Wi-Fi network needs while obtaining token incentive income from the Roam network. At the same time, the Roam protocol can ensure that the data of users connected to OpenRoaming remains autonomous and is not affected by the central database.

Web3 Wi-Fi network with DID/VCs credentials at its core

From the user side, the Roam protocol introduces decentralized identifiers (DIDs - decentralized identifiers) and corresponding verifiable credentials (VCs - verifiable credentials). Based on DID/VCs credentials, users can directly obtain the ability to seamlessly switch in public Wi-Fi networks without repeated authentication and registration.

Users can easily synchronize configurations between devices or re-obtain configuration files when changing devices through the Roam APP without having to complete the complicated setup process again. In this way, Roam will establish a unified, user-centric global Wi-Fi open roaming network that seamlessly connects different Wi-Fi networks.

At the same time, VC/DID as Web3.0 Wi-Fi credentials is the core of the Roam ecosystem, which allows the virtuous cycle of network construction to be initiated through token incentives, controls the deployment and expansion of global distributed wireless access networks, and generates valuable "3W" data - a detailed description of who is connected, when they are connected, and where they are connected. Based on this series of data, Roam will conduct in-depth cooperation scenarios with social applications within the ecosystem, including SocialFi, GameFi, etc.  

Another groundbreaking feature of the Roam ecosystem is that it can promote the popularization and large-scale adoption of OpenRoaming in a bottom-up manner.

Accelerate the expansion of the OpenRoaming network based on the incentivized DePIN system

Roam has built a DePIN ecosystem driven by the Web3 economic system. Based on the DePIN network, small and medium-sized enterprises, individual users, and other users with network bandwidth and Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities can join OpenRoaming at any time through the Roam protocol, including purchasing Roam routers or sharing hotspots through mobile devices loaded with the Roam App.

In terms of hardware devices, Roam is currently selling the Rainier MAX60 router. It is reported that the device is compatible with OpenRoaming and has Wi-Fi 6 performance, supporting data transmission rates of up to 9.6Gbps, which is nearly 3 times faster than WiFi 5's 3.5Gbps, thereby reducing bandwidth congestion. At the same time, it supports 200+ devices to connect simultaneously within a range of 150 square meters, which can meet the needs of most guest Wi-Fi. When a user connects at a specific node, all Roam routers will work together to verify their DID credentials.

The price of the router itself is the same as that of ordinary Wi-Fi 6-supported routers, which has a low entry threshold for small and medium-sized enterprises and individual users. In addition, the router is the edge computing and connection center for many families and small businesses, providing efficient and secure support for large-scale data transmission.

Most importantly, by running Rainier MAX60 and providing OpenRoaming Wi-Fi and other services to OpenRoaming users, users can get four times the RoamPoints reward of adding Wi-Fi points (RoamPoints can be used to obtain $Roam tokens after staking and burning after TGE), and the more OpenRoaming WiFi connections users establish, the higher the reward. This will greatly spread the user's construction costs and network operation and maintenance costs, and even make a profit from it. The extremely low price threshold, continuous economic incentives and excellent network performance of Rainier MAX60 are driving a large number of nodes to spontaneously join the OpenRoaming network construction.

In addition to hardware devices, Roam has also launched an App. Based on this software, users can not only join OpenRoaming Wi-Fi for free, but also share its Wi-Fi network at any time through mobile devices with hotspot functions, and receive RoamPoints rewards based on their contributions in the process of sharing the network.

This mining setting is turning all mobile devices with hotspot sharing functions into small nodes of Roam, and expanding the network with the fission of users by launching a series of social functions. Roam App is not only a channel for users to join the sharing network and join OpenRoaming Wi-Fi for free, but the App also launched a series of Web3 native functions, including:

Check-in-to-earn: This function supports users to earn points by checking in. Users can receive points rewards by verifying the working status of Wi-Fi network nodes and providing hotspots for other users. At present, the cumulative number of check-ins in the app has exceeded 1.86 million times.

Connect-to-convert: Roam App provides various incentive mechanisms for users who participate in network co-construction, and at the same time, it will also serve other track projects in the Web3 ecosystem with the accumulated traffic pool. Web3 project parties can accurately airdrop to target users according to their own project needs to achieve growth and early start of the ecosystem. Active users of Roam App are expected to receive a series of Web3 project token airdrop incentives, which will further promote users' contribution to the Roam ecosystem. At the same time, Roam App is also expected to convert a large number of Web2 users into Web3 native users in this way.

Location-based-socialfi: This function is a social gameplay based on geographic coordinates. Users can continuously expand the social graph based on geographic location and strengthen the connection between ecological users. The introduction of socialization is enhancing the cohesion of the Roam community, and also provides a basis for further fission of the ecology and further exploration of commercial value.

Infra-as-a-service: Roam supports infrastructure service cooperation with other infrastructure project parties. Roam and other DePIN project parties cooperate on hardware, supporting one machine and multiple mining to bring more diversified benefits to users. At the protocol layer, Roam can also provide data support for project parties based on geographic location, and use Roam App as a visual driving application.

Currently, through the setting of a series of functions, Roam App has more than 280,000 users and has formed one of the largest communities in the current Web3 field. Not long ago, the joint event between Roam and OKX attracted more than 100,000 people to participate, which shows the appeal of the ecology.

At the same time, the number of nodes in the network as a whole is approaching 280,000, covering more than 140 countries. The number of nodes in the Roam ecosystem is currently experiencing rapid growth, with a month-on-month growth rate of more than 100%, making the Roam ecosystem the third largest DePIN network.

Economic model

The Roam ecosystem currently contains three assets and drives the growth and development of the ecosystem in different ways, including RoamPoint points, ecological tokens $ROAM and Roam NFT.

RoamPoints is the core asset in the current token economy system. Users can obtain it by participating in network contributions, direct purchases, and exchange with cooperating merchants. In terms of function, RoamPoints can be circulated within the Roam ecosystem and used to purchase third-party applications, access network-generated data, or publish advertisements in the Roam network environment. In addition, RoamPoints can be exchanged for governance tokens ROAM through staking, destruction, etc. When RoamPoints are used for specific purposes or under specific circumstances, the corresponding RoamPoints will be destroyed. This helps control the supply and enhance the scarcity of tokens (currently more than 25% of RoamPoints have been destroyed).

$ROAM is the governance token of the ecosystem. Holders can obtain ecosystem tokens in a variety of ways, such as staking, voting, and obtaining airdrops from other projects. Its main uses include verifying the services provided by miners, participating in community governance, and staking to obtain operating rights. The token is planned to be launched on the top trading platform in the near future.

Roam NFT is issued directly by the Roam Foundation and can be bound to specific mining equipment. Holders can obtain $ROAM rewards by staking NFT. In addition, NFT also gives holders a special community identity.

Roam Ecosystem Development Potential

May become the largest DeWi ecosystem

Currently, the scale of Roam ecological nodes has exceeded Helium 5G, becoming the second largest DeWi network, second only to Helium IoT. As the Roam ecosystem "grows wildly", it is also developing towards the direction of the largest DeWi ecosystem.

In fact, DeWi projects including Helium and Wicrypt usually hope to further promote the popularization of network services by building a DePIN ecosystem to reduce network costs, and the ultimate main profit direction is still to sell eSim of large telecommunications companies or charge users for paid services as another virtual network operator. Although the new service model has advantages over Web2 network services in terms of network acquisition costs, the breadth of network services provided, and user-side network acquisition costs, this business model that has been proven in the Web2 business model has limited potential.

The difference with Roam is that Roam's profit model is not to collect fees from users, but to achieve profits at the data and application layers. Therefore, Roam, as the Web3 expansion and aggregation layer of OpenRoaming, can be opened to all users for free, and the user network quality and experience will continue to improve as the network node system continues to expand.

This approach is relatively easy for the Roam ecosystem to achieve rounds of growth flywheels, as evidenced by the current scale of the ecosystem and the momentum of node growth (from doubling every month to doubling every week). As the scale of the ecosystem user base expands, it is expected to become the most important Web3 data availability layer, empowering the development of various technology fields. Different profit models and growth strategies also determine a higher ceiling for the development of the Roam ecosystem.

Backed by the blue ocean market

In fact, Roam is still in the early stages of ecological development, especially the ROAM token has not yet achieved TGE. At present,

Helium 5G is currently valued at $700 million, which may mean that Roam's ecological valuation is expected to quickly break through under the premise that the overall node scale and user volume are better than Helium 5G.

From the perspective of the Wi-Fi market, the number of guest Wi-Fi is about 628 million, but the number of OpenRoaming nodes is only 3 million. If a conversion rate of 1% is achieved, it means that about 5 million people will enjoy a better Wi-Fi experience, and the potential market value is as high as $1 billion. Roam is becoming an important force in promoting the development of this trend, which also shows that it is backed by the blue ocean market of this track.

The grand narrative direction is also making Roam favored by the capital market. At the end of last year, it completed a round of financing of US$5 million, led by Anagram and Volt Capital, and participated by Comma3 Ventures, ECMC Group, Awesome People Ventures, Stratified Capital, DePIN Labs, Future 3 Campus, IoTeX, ZC capital and JDI. After that, it received investment from Samsung Next, OKX Ventures and others. At the same time, Roam will also plan to realize TGE of ROAM tokens on the top trading platform in the near future, which will promote the full launch of the ecosystem and further accelerate the operation of the ecological flywheel.

The progress of the investment market and future token market will further promote Roam's construction in the DeWi track ecosystem and global WiFi roaming network nodes, and will continue to work with Cisco, Boingo, GlobalReach, etc. to use DID-based credentials to support the latest WiFi technology and achieve a fast, secure and roaming global network, and continue to play a key role in 5G deployment and cellular traffic reduction.

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