HNT Jumps 100% on Texas Town's Wi-Fi-to-Cell Switch

Helium (HNT) surged roughly 100% on Saturday. The catalyst was a Texas municipality that decided to use its existing Wi-Fi infrastructure instead of waiting for new cell towers.

Celina, located north of Dallas, added 12,710 residents in a single year and grew at a rate of 24.6%, the fastest among any US city with a population over 20,000.

How Helium Turned Wi-Fi Into Cell Service

Helium announced the rollout on Friday. It covers the Celina Public Library, the Ralph O’Dell Senior Center, and several downtown businesses.

The city did not construct anything new because it already had Wi-Fi. Helium added a technology layer that allows smartphones to treat those hotspots as cellular coverage.

Phones log in using credentials already on the SIM card. No app or password is required. Most users do not notice the transition.

This concept is not original. AT&T joined the same Helium system in April 2025. That agreement enables the automatic connection.

“Helium let us turn Wi-Fi we already own into coverage our residents’ phones use automatically, without spending a dollar on new towers,” said Amy Alexander, director of information technology for the City of Celina.

Why Helium Jumped Nearly 100%

The news emerged on Friday, yet HNT moved overnight and added roughly $37 million in market capitalization. Those Celina locations handle about 100 GB per day. That is one library, one senior center, and a handful of shops.

Celina, TX grew 25% in 1 year. You can’t build cell towers fast enough to keep up with that kind of growth.

Celina turned its own city-wide Wi-Fi networks into carrier coverage on the Helium Network.

100 GB/day, automatic on residents’ phones. No towers necessary. pic.twitter.com/hH70a8CZbk

— Helium🎈 (@helium) August 28, 2026

Thus, traders were buying the concept, not the revenue. HNT rose 97.4% over 30 days, with nearly all of that gain occurring in the last 24 hours.

Volume tells the same story: about $44 million changed hands in a single day, more than half of the token’s $79 million market cap.

However, with HNT trading near $0.42, it is still down 85.6% over the past 12 months and far below its 2021 peak of $54.88.