Althea
Althea is a “last mile” decentralized Internet Service Provider (ISP) platform.
Website: https://www.althea.net/
HQ: San Diego, California, United States
Active Markets: United States
Problem Addressed
As of January 2024 5.3 billion people — or 66% of the global population — use a device to connect to the internet. However, many communities are out of reach for traditional broadband services. Broadband infrastructure is costly to deploy, creating a marketplace in which densely populated regions are most viable. High costs and the complexity of developing infrastructure in rural areas make it difficult for service providers to deliver service to difficult to reach areas, leaving millions of users around the world with unmet connectivity needs. This is true for rural communities characterized by rugged terrain but also in major cities like New York. In addition to physical access to broadband, the high costs associated with most broadband plans can exclude lower-income households from service. According to Broadband Now, a broadband data aggregation service, 42 million Americans lack access to broadband internet.
Project Description
Althea facilitates the coordination of multi-stakeholder internet connectivity networks via its dynamic platform. Althea is an open-source platform that supports a decentralized, competitive market where individuals and businesses can coordinate Internet services. The protocol allows anyone to participate in the Althea decentralized connectivity network by installing equipment and accessing services, or to receive compensation for providing them. Leveraging a blockchain based infrastructure and smart contracts, Althea reduces the cost of connectivity by enabling price-aware nodes to switch between connectivity providers, locating the best combination of bandwidth to cost; reduces overhead expenses; and replaces contract and billing costs with direct peer-to-peer micropayment compensation.
Althea enables existing or new internet infrastructures to expand reach or deploy new networks. The protocol allows use of fiber, LTE, or fixed wireless hardware network development. Althea’s functionality as a decentralized blockchain payment platform enables participating routers to forward services, creating novel routing channels through which affordable coverage can reach new users and individual routers providing access can receive compensation. End users of the network pre-pay with debit cards, while cryptocurrency rails are leveraged only in the backend to capitalize on stablecoin efficiencies.
Althea offers an “always on free” option: anywhere an install happens, there is a base level of internet that is always available for users free of charge — providing inclusive access for lower-income households. Althea also offers Liquid Infrastructure capabilities. In this model, an NFT representation of a microtransaction account is created which can then be leveraged to fund and roll out additional infrastructural projects. Routers paying monthly generate income via blockchain data, which are then used to seek investors for future buildouts.
Business Data
Status: Active
Constituency Served: General public
Networks: Althea, Cosmos, Ethereum
Known Investors: Erhan Bilici, Coral, KR1, AGE Crypto Asset Investment Fund
Additional References: Hawk Network
Progress to date
Althea is deployed globally. In 2022, Althea was used to build a broadband network in rural Nevada County, California for a community of 3,500 people. The project enabled homes, farms, and businesses in the area to serve as relays (by hosting broadcast antennas), increasing connectivity access and receiving compensation through the network for doing so. This relay system provided connectivity to difficult to reach areas, located in rugged terrain characterized by tall tress, hills, and valleys. A community of 408 residents in the remote village of Ulukhaktok, Victoria Island in the Arctic Circle used Althea to gain connectivity where traditional ISPs were unable to do so because of limited infrastructure in the area. Althea coordinated a cellular network using Starlink satellites to provide 4G connectivity speeds to the community, far more reliable and at higher speeds than ever before.
These are two examples among hundreds of deployments Althea has carried out providing connectivity to communities globally.
Business Model
Althea offers subscription model tiers for services.
Traction
Althea is deployed in four countries and 12 US states, working with more than a dozen ISPs to provide services to thousands of homes in a range of terrains typically too challenging to deploy traditional broadband infrastructure.