Andrew Yang’s upstart cell phone business acquires Helium Mobile

Andrew Yang enjoys being a maverick. After a surprisingly strong showing in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, where he stood out for wearing a “MATH” lapel pin during debates, Yang redirected his energy into business. In 2025, he decided to take on phone giants Verizon and AT&T with a low-cost mobile phone network, Noble Mobile. That venture is now expanding as, on Tuesday, Noble Mobile announced it is acquiring another upstart called Helium Mobile, which has sought to build cryptocurrency into its business model. The companies declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal, and Yang said Helium’s pricing and service would not change for the foreseeable future in an interview with Fortune. As part of the acquisition, Noble Mobile will begin using the Helium Network, which is a crypto-powered patchwork of cellular hotspots that made Helium a crypto household name in 2021. Currently, Noble Mobile leases spectrum from T-Mobile to serve its customers. Nova Labs, the company responsible for developing Helium, will retain the non-Helium Mobile parts of the business, which include a data offloading program aimed at large mobile network operators. Helium’s crypto tokens will remain under the purview of the Helium DAO. Representatives from both companies cast the move as stemming from a shared commitment to delivering affordable cell phone service to Americans. Spinning off its cellular network will allow Nova Labs to focus on its more economical data offloading business. Noble Mobile, meanwhile, gains the customer list of Helium Mobile, which has seen its cumulative number of sign-ups more than double over the past year. “We certainly were not looking [to acquire a mobile network business], but when our conversations with Helium sped up and deepened, we knew it was the right thing to do,” Yang said. “It’s rare that you find two companies and organizations that are so aligned and realize that they could do more if they combine forces.” Upon founding Noble