It’s been a big year for MetaBlox, as the project continues to lay the foundation for Web3 with its decentralized OpenRoaming WiFi Network and Network Protocol. In this year-end review, we’ll examine the various milestones MetaBlox has achieved in the past 12 months.
Investor Funding
In March, MetaBlox held a private seed funding round that attracted a combined backing of over $2 million. Several preeminent Web3 investment groups such as Syngergis and Collab + Currency lead the funding, while popular firms such as Future Life, CrowdCreate, Slope, and NFT Technologies also participated. With support from such big Web3 names as these, the MetaBlox team is confident that it will succeed at laying the foundation for a more user-oriented internet with its products.
Decentralized WiFi OpenRoaming Deployment
MetaBlox worked towards building a global, decentralized OpenRoaming WiFi Network throughout the year. This special type of WiFi ‘combines’ individual networks by eliminating manual logins and connection pages when switching between them. Two or more networks implementing OpenRoaming thus enable seamless, automatic connections whenever a device comes within range of any of these networks’ access points or switches between them.
MetaBlox’s OpenRoaming network is also fully decentralized because for access it requires special Decentralized ID (or DID) web credentials to be verified on a blockchain. These credentials are not stored by providers, and can only be accessed with the users’ private keys.
This decentralized network connection model, called MetaBlox Protocol, thus eliminates the need for a centralized third-party authenticator and allows for credentials to be verified via Open-Ledger format. This reduces fraud risk because blockchain transactions are publicly visible.
OpenRoaming Privacy Protection
At the same time, MetaBlox’s OpenRoaming network protects users’ privacy because MetaBlox Protocol also implements Decentralized Identity and Verifiable Credentials standards. These web ID standards ensure privacy protection by concealing users’ personal data when their credentials are recorded and verified on-chain. So when connecting to the OpenRoaming network, users can remain anonymous, and choose what, if any, personal information to verify with their credentials.
WBA Partnership
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) of telecom industry companies share MetaBlox’s goal of building a global OpenRoaming network for seamless and continuous WiFi connectivity. MetaBlox became a full member of the alliance in 2022 and is working with its partners in the group to expand the OpenRoaming network, which already has over a million access points worldwide.
MetaBlox is the first Web3 member of the WBA, which previously only consisted of major telecom players.
The WBA’s OpenRoaming network also implemented MetaBlox Protocol in 2022, ensuring automatic and privacy-protected WiFi connections via all its access points.
Wireless Global Congress Demonstration
In October, MetaBlox demonstrated decentralized WiFi OpenRoaming at the WBA’s Wireless Global Congress in Amsterdam. By generating a DID on the MetaBlox Network app, the presentation team established seamless Open-Roaming between two different networks with separate routers. A device connected to the internet through one router, then automatically switched connections to the other router when it came closer to it.
MetaBlox OpenRoaming Router Deployment
This year, hundreds of MetaBlox routers were deployed to expand the WBA’s OpenRoaming network. Starting on December 5, these special routers were installed in the Philippines, and more are on their way to Canada and the UAE. Businesses such as cafes, restaurants, retail shops, and venues will be using these routers as access points to WiFi OpenRoaming.
NFT Launch
The MetaBlox NFT also launched in 2022 to huge success. The collection is utility-based and brings holders ongoing $MBLX tokens and other rewards.
For example, the MetaBlox NFT is the first to include a cloud-mining utility. Every holder gets all the $MBLX tokens issued by a MetaBlox router, which is also crypto miners. The more WiFi connections a router establishes, the more tokens it issues, and the NFT-pegged routers are located in high-traffic areas, optimizing token yields for holders. This utility was activated in December, and holders are watching their token credits grow as they await MetaBlox’s TGE in 2023.
NFT NYC Presentation
In June, MetaBlox successfully presented its NFT collection at NFT NYC, and previewed its utilities and the MetaBlox router.
The newly unveiled MetaBlox NFT collection has two versions: the Genesis Series and the SE Genesis Series. The SE version earns holders higher cloud mining and community rewards compared to the standard Genesis series.
OpenSea and Binance Sales
The MetaBlox NFT pre-launched on Binance at the end of August, drawing significant attention from the Web3 community. The collection sold out on the platform after hitting the #1 spot in trading volume. In early September, the collection, including the SE series, officially launched on OpenSea.
Successful NFT Staking Period
Another unique utility of the MetaBlox NFT is staking. In September, a staking pool opened that holders deposited their NFTs into for daily $MBLX token rewards. The pool closed on December 12th, and NFTs were returned to holders’ electronic wallets.
Partnerships
MetaBlox partnered with other projects in 2022 in order to better carry out its mission of laying the foundation for Web3. Partnerships made this year include those with the following projects.
Harmony: an open blockchain running Ethereum applications
Caldance: an exercise equipment company that uses gamification to let players earn cryptocurrency in their efforts to stay fit.
Memolabs: a decentralized, blockchain-based cloud storage protocol.
Deeper Network: a Web3 ecosystem project offering products such as a decentralized private network (DPN) rather than a VPN.
