The 5G rollout just started recently. Unfortunately, Nova Labs have to get licensed spectrum in every single individual country they want to roll out 5G radios in. In the US they are using the CBRS band which is open for public use. I don’t think many other countries have anything similar so it’s possible, likely even, that Helium based 5G won’t be available in a large number anytime soon.

That said, the idea is great. Cellular carriers have very little incentive to build out infrastructure in rural areas and licensing spectrum is extremely expensive. So being able to a) rely on a decentralized 5G infrastructure in areas they don’t offer coverage in themselves and b) offload users in high density areas to different frequencies is valuable for everyone, including the telco companies.

Just to be very clear. I don’t buy HNT or speculate in its price, but I do use the network with dozens of LoRa devices and love the idea. There are other LoRa networks such as TTN but the Helium network dwarfs other alternatives in terms of coverage since there’s an incentive to set up hotspots in areas with poor coverage