As we look back on the last twelve months, Pollen’s growth has exceeded all expectations in terms of build-out, speed of innovation, and community engagement. We are proud to have achieved so many milestones together.

As the network approaches its first birthday, we’re excited to announce the plans for our next phase — Paid Data — and integrate everything we’ve learned over the past year into our updated roadmap. This is detailed in the updated White Paper.

Pollen is Announcing Our Plan for Paid Data and Introducing US Dollar Payments

In conjunction with officially announcing Paid Data, we’re also introducing the US dollar as i) the primary means to purchase data and / or plans from Pollen, and ii) the means in which Flower owners will be paid for hauling data.

Customers will be able to pay for a portion of purchases in PollenCoin ($PCN). The value of $PCN will remain $0.10. Proof of Coverage incentive rewards will continue to be paid in $PCN.

Why are we introducing US dollar payments, and what does that mean for the network?

• Consumers and businesses want to pay for service in US dollars
• Flower owners receiving data payments in dollars will be able to directly cover their expenses, such as rent (e.g., can be up to $300–500 / month in top markets), power, backhaul, and SAS fees (e.g., $15 / month)
• Flower owners will also be able to earn up to rates competitive with what Mobile Network Operators (“MNOs”) charge for roaming (e.g., $3 / GB)
• MNO and MVNOs want to receive and pay dollars for traffic exchange
• Taking payments primarily in the form of dollars will enable Pollen to directly cover the costs of running the network
• The costs, complexities, and inefficiencies of using $PCN as the sole form of payment within the network are eliminated
• Pollen will have access to a much larger market of potential customers, partners, and investors

‍New Monetization Models

We’re excited to be introducing the commercial framework for Paid Data.

• Pollen Mobile Mobile Hybrid Network Operator: By combining Pollen’s native RAN with the MNOs’ RAN, Pollen can provide a premium, differentiated mobile experience to subscribers. Pollen’s incentives will be further tuned to direct Flower deployments to 1) areas where MNOs don’t currently provide adequate coverage and 2) where dense Pollen coverage can compete with MNOs to provide a compelling alternative
• Public / Private Hybrid Networks: Pollen will uniquely 1) make private networks accessible to everybody, from individuals to large enterprises, and 2) provide the ability to monetize private networks
• Fixed Wireless: Pollen now also supports Fixed Wireless deployments, which can deliver broadband internet access to areas where it’s cost prohibitive to deliver wired internet access, such as rural areas and to price-sensitive markets. Fixed Wireless is not only a rapidly growing market but also promises to be a key tool in helping to close the digital divide in the US
• Neutral Host: This enticing concept has proven to be a mirage for the industry for many technical and commercial reasons as further described in the White Paper. We believe that a combination of i) targeted Flower deployments, and ii) the combined RAN deployments via the three other Monetization Models will represent a compelling business case for MNOs and MVNOs to use Pollen to extend their network

Infrastructure Upgrades

To deliver the functionality, quality, and reliability required for a network with long-term commercial viability, we identified a number of infrastructure upgrades that we’re excited to be rolling out over the coming months, including:

• A migration from Magma to a carrier-grade mobile core
• Support for inbound voice roaming
• Enabling Wi-Fi hotspot phone tethering
• Deploying handoff functionality between Flowers
• Integration of a billing and charging solution

We couldn’t be more excited about the future for Pollen, and we’re incredibly grateful to the amazing community without whom we could not have made it this far. We’re looking forward to continuing to build out the network together.