Celina, Texas added more than 12,700 residents in a single year — 24.6% growth, the fastest of any US city above twenty thousand people. Towers cannot keep that pace: a new mast means planning, permitting and millions in capital, on timelines measured in years.
On 28 August the city took another route: Wi-Fi in the public library, the Ralph O’Dell Senior Center and downtown businesses was opened up to carry mobile traffic over the Helium Network. Phones attach on their own — no app, no sign-in, no settings. About 100 GB a day now crosses the town.
No new towers and no capital spend: the city earns from what it built years ago. The network counts over 42,000 such locations across the US, carrying traffic for 2.5 million people a day.
A rare case of a decentralised network selling a closed coverage gap rather than a token, and residents are not the ones paying.
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