Understanding Roam: A Comprehensive Overview

Key Insights

• Roam addresses the structural challenges the telecom industry faces by combining decentralized wireless infrastructure with tokenization. Through its global WiFi OpenRoaming network, Roam offers automatic, secure connectivity across millions of access points, replacing manual logins with blockchain-based authentication.
• Roam has successfully raised capital through multiple funding rounds, securing investments from over 15 investors. Notable backers include Synergis Capital, Volt Capital, Anagram, Samsung Next, ZC Capital, and DePIN Labs.
• Roam operates under a dual-token system consisting of Roam Points and the ROAM token. The utility for both includes network service payments, upgrade NFTs and stickers, repurchase and burn, staking rewards, access to Roam Discovery products, and more.
• Roam’s global footprint continues to expand, with WiFi nodes deployed across nearly every major country and city worldwide. As of the time of writing, Roam has 2.4 million registered users, 186.5 million check-ins, 2.1 million active WiFi nodes, and 219.6 million stickers issued. In addition, Roam has the Roam eSIM, which serves over 1 million users across 160+ countries, providing flexible prepaid data plans directly through the Roam app.

Introduction

The telecom industry has long operated under centralized business models with high infrastructure costs and declining profitability. Operators rely on fragmented networks, outdated pricing models, and expensive 5G rollouts, which limit innovation and accessibility. Meanwhile, large tech companies have created data monopolies by developing their own ecosystems, further restricting access to high-quality user data essential for the next generation of AI applications.

Roam addresses these structural challenges by combining decentralized wireless infrastructure with tokenization. Through its global WiFi OpenRoaming network, Roam offers automatic, secure connectivity across millions of access points, replacing manual logins with blockchain-based authentication using Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs).

By incentivizing users to expand and maintain the network, Roam has built one of the largest Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs) globally. Users earn Roam Points for upgrading WiFi hotspots, sharing CDN bandwidth, and facilitating seamless roaming. These points can be redeemed for Roam tokens, aligning user incentives with network growth.

Roam’s infrastructure also serves as a critical data layer for AI, enabling privacy-preserving access to real-world behavioral data. Its integration of blockchain and telecommunications technologies offers secure data sharing across devices, enhancing AI training datasets while preserving user privacy.

Team

Roam’s leadership team is a mix of doxxed and anonymous contributors:

• Co-founder @alphacurve is an anon who is sporadically active on X and frequently posts about Roam.
• Co-founder Jeffrey Manner brings venture and crypto experience. In addition to his role at Roam, Jeffrey is a General Partner at Weave VC, a Canada-based venture firm focused on early-stage investments.
• Roam’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is Rohan, who is active on X with 4,500 followers. Rohan regularly promotes Roam’s developments and helps drive community engagement.

Investors

Source

Roam has successfully raised capital through several funding rounds:

• Grant Funding (February 28th, 2022): Raised $250,000 with a grant from Harmony.
• Seed Funding (March 15th, 2022): Raised $2 million with investments from SNZ Holding, Collab+Currency, Synergis, NFT Technologies, Crowdcreate, and one additional investor.
• Strategic Funding (December 2023): Raised $5 million with Anagram Crypto and Volt Capital leading the round, joined by 11 additional investors including SNZ Holding, IoTeX, and Stratified Capital.
• Undisclosed Funding (April 21st, 2024): Raised an undisclosed amount with investment from Samsung Next.

TechnologyOpenRoaming Network Overview

Source

Roam’s OpenRoaming network combines the Wireless Broadband Alliance’s global WiFi roaming standard with crypto technology. It enables automatic, secure WiFi connections across millions of access points, removing the need for manual logins. Roam’s decentralized authentication process uses blockchain nodes to verify user DIDs and VCs, ensuring self-sovereign user data management.

Decentralized Authentication and Connection Process

When joining the network, all users receive a DID, which serves as a secure, blockchain-verified identity. When users connect to a Roam hotspot, their DID and VC are validated by nodes, allowing seamless access. This process preserves privacy by keeping personal data off centralized servers.

Network Infrastructure and Roam Miners

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Roam Miners are physical WiFi routers acting as access points and blockchain nodes. They validate user credentials, maintain decentralized governance, and earn Roam Points for each successful verification. Miners also support cloud mining through Roam’s NFT system, where each MetaBlox Genesis NFT corresponds to a deployed miner. NFT holders earn Roam Points from their associated miner’s activity and can stake NFTs for additional rewards.

Incentive Model and Token Mechanics

Roam Points are the core incentive mechanism, earned by users for connecting, maintaining, and expanding the network. Points can be converted into Roam tokens after TGE, aligning user and operator incentives with long-term network growth. Hosts earn additional rewards by upgrading hotspots and sharing CDN bandwidth.

Users earn Roam Points through several activities across both the Roam app and Roam Miners. Within the Roam app, adding a private WiFi network with a password earns 100 Points upfront, along with up to 12 daily Points based on the network's health, while adding a public WiFi network without a password earns 100 Points. Check-ins, where users validate network functionality, provide 10 Points per check-in, along with 1 sticker and 5 eSIM data credits. Referring friends to the Roam app also generates 30 Points per successful referral.

Roam Miner hosts can earn significant Point rewards, starting with 3,000 Points upon successful registration. Active miners that operate normally receive 60 daily Points, while user check-ins at miner locations can generate up to 150 additional Points per day.

5G Offloading and Network Efficiency

Roam supports seamless 5G offloading, allowing mobile devices to shift data from cellular to WiFi, reducing cellular costs and improving coverage. This is particularly valuable in regions with limited 5G infrastructure.

Security and Compliance

Roam adheres to established security and performance standards, including:

• WBA OpenRoaming standards
• 5G interoperability
• IEEE 802.11 EAP
• Hotspot 2.0
• Trust-Over-IP (ToIP)

Data and AI Integration

Roam’s infrastructure serves as a privacy-preserving data layer for AI applications. By enabling secure, real-time access to behavioral data across millions of access points, Roam provides AI developers with high-quality, real-world datasets. This decentralized approach reduces data silos and enhances AI model training without compromising user privacy.

TokenomicsRoam Points and ROAM Overview

Roam operates under a dual-token system consisting of Roam Points and the ROAM token. This structure is designed to balance user engagement, incentivize network growth, and provide long-term economic sustainability. The ROAM token TGEd on March 6, 2025.

Roam Points function as the internal settlement currency within the Roam ecosystem. Points are earned through mining activities, network contributions, and user participation. They are directly linked to USDT/USDC value, providing a stable medium for internal transactions.

The utility for Roam Points includes:

• Token Generation: Points are burned to generate ROAM tokens after the TGE.
• Service Payments: Points can be used to pay for in-app services like eSIM data packages, content creator compensation, and redeemable benefits (e.g., gift cards and discounts).
• Asset Enhancement: Points are used to merge and upgrade NFTs and stickers within the Roam ecosystem.
• Cross-Project Exchange: Points can be swapped with those from other participating projects.

ROAM tokens are generated through a pre-defined emission curve, with a gradually decreasing emission rate managed through a difficulty adjustment algorithm. This mechanism aligns token supply with network activity and demand.

The demand drivers for ROAM include:

• Repurchase and Burn: Roam will use network revenue to repurchase and permanently burn ROAM tokens.
• Staking Rewards: Users can stake ROAM to earn income from Roam Growth products.
• Discovery Product Access: Users can lock ROAM to participate in Roam Discovery products, gaining access to potential rewards and project incentives.
• Point Conversion: Users can convert ROAM tokens into Points to access ecosystem services.

ROAM Supply and Distribution

The total supply of ROAM is capped at 1 billion, with no plans for additional issuance. Tokens are distributed according to the following allocations:

• Team Allocation: 120 million (vesting over 6 years)
• Investors and Airdrop: 280 million
• Mining Emission: 600 million (distributed through post-TGE mining)

Additionally, Roam has a difficulty adjustment. Roam’s difficulty adjustment mechanism dynamically controls token emissions based on network activity. As user check-ins and network usage increase or decrease, the system adjusts emission rates to maintain token stability, similar to Bitcoin’s difficulty adjustment process.

Economic Flywheel

Roam's economic sustainability is built around three core flywheels that align user incentives with network growth:

1. User Flywheel:
   1. Attract users with Web3 incentives and OpenRoaming services.
   2. Expand the user base through community-driven growth.
   3. Lower eSIM data costs and increase advertising revenue, enhancing token value and further incentivizing user growth.
2. Node Flywheel:
   1. Incentivize deployment of WiFi miners.
   2. Increase network coverage, driving higher user satisfaction.
   3. Nodes generate cash flow from CDN and IP applications, supporting sustainable miner rewards.
3. AI Data Flywheel (Future):
   1. Collect privacy-protected, location-verified data.
   2. Enhance datasets through Roam Discovery collaborations.
   3. Enable AI agents and distributed models on Roam, generating new data and further driving network expansion.

Ecosystem and Partnerships OverviewNetwork Data

Roam's activity began accelerating in mid-2024, driven by increasing adoption of its decentralized WiFi infrastructure and user participation incentives. Since then, Roam has experienced steady growth across most key metrics, reflecting both user engagement and network expansion.

As of the time of writing, Roam has:

• 2.4 million registered users
• 186.5 million check-ins
• 2.1 million active WiFi nodes
• 219.6 million stickers issued

Roam’s global footprint continues to expand, with WiFi nodes deployed across nearly every major country and city worldwide. This wide distribution highlights Roam’s progress toward becoming a truly global decentralized wireless network, with participation spanning both densely populated urban centers and underserved regions.

Ecosystem Projects

Roam’s partnerships extend across telecommunications, infrastructure, and other crypto verticals, bringing complementary technologies and expertise into the Roam ecosystem. By working with established industry players, emerging DePIN projects, and application developers, Roam accelerates both adoption and innovation within its network.

Notable Roam Ecosystem Projects include:

• IoTeX: A modular Web3 infrastructure platform focused on connecting smart devices and real-world data to blockchains. By combining blockchain and IoT technologies, IoTeX enables DePIN projects to seamlessly connect and monetize physical infrastructure, including environmental sensors, smart devices, and location-based services.
• Huma Finance: An onchain credit platform in the PayFi (Payments + Finance) category. Huma Finance provides income-backed lending and receivable financing, leveraging real-world assets to expand DeFi access to businesses and individuals.
• PowerPod: A decentralized Internet of Energy project focused on building a community-driven EV charging network. PowerPod integrates IoT technology with blockchain, allowing participants to host charging stations and earn passive income.

Closing Summary

Roam is addressing fundamental challenges in the telecommunications industry by combining decentralized wireless infrastructure with tokenized incentives, creating a seamless and globally accessible connectivity network. Through its integration of OpenRoaming technology, blockchain-based authentication, and a dual-token system, Roam has built one of the largest DePINs to date.

Roam’s rapidly growing global footprint, with millions of active nodes, users, and check-ins, highlights both the market demand for decentralized connectivity and the effectiveness of its incentive model. By aligning user participation with long-term network growth through Roam Points and the ROAM token, Roam has created an economic flywheel that benefits individual users, infrastructure operators, and application developers alike.