To achieve our goal of building a decentralized wireless network we needed to build a new identity mechanism (Proof-of-Coverage) that was useful, energy efficient, and fair. Among other capabilities, Proof-of-Coverage uses a scoring system to determine which gateways can be elected to the consensus group and earn mining rewards. (If you want an in-depth overview of the Helium Network and how Proof-of-Coverage its into it, start with the Helium Whitepaper.)

In a previous blog entry I described Proof-of-Coverage, how we designed it, and the benefits our network would receive from using it. In that post, I shared how gateways become elected to a special consensus group based on a score they earn for providing wireless coverage which is assessed by feedback from peers.

We designed Proof-of-Coverage to ensure the work gateways perform directly contributes to delivering network coverage without waste or inefficiencies.

But how is that score derived? After gateways join the consensus group what happens? What ensures the system remains truly decentralized and fair?