Why Invest in Theta & Tfuel (Part II)

What’s the latest with Theta Network? Please read the first installment of this post “Why Should I Invest in Theta” @ https://medium.com/@acryptoconsultant/why-should-i-invest-in-theta-d2919589f4fe prior to reading this one.

Theta Network is a unique project from a utility and investment perspective. The project is currently still not as well known as other projects (XTZ, LINK, TOMO, XRP, etc) but has arguably as much, if not more, utility for the average internet user globally.

Rather than rehash (no pun intended) the previous post “Why Should I Invest in Theta” this post will be a continuation with updated info, new catalysts, and exciting developments in the network.

Underexposed

1. Theta Token has yet to be added to USA-based exchanges (Kraken, Coinbase, Binance.US). This is preventing many US citizens from purchasing, and being aware of, Theta and TFuel.
2. Theta was born during the bear market, just months after Bitcoin peaked at $20,000. This means that it had less of an impact on the greater blockchain investing community, as less people were interested in discovering new projects after a) losing their money, and b) seeing the market decline.
3. Theta team does not market to consumers, as their target audience is CTO (chief technology officers) at video platforms/networks such as Youtube, Netflix, Twitch, Amazon, and Hulu. Theta would be wasting money to network to average consumers/investors without having any major video platforms for these users to engage with. They are a B2B pitch (businsess-2-business), allowing a video platform to leverage their technology to save CDN costs and increase user engagement.
4. Theta ran a private investment via accredited investors, rather than an ICO money grab. This means the project is above board legally, but also that it didn’t get as much exposure during the hype of the ICO craze (this is a positive).

Decentralization

1. Theta Network has been steadily bringing “Guardian” staking nodes onto their “staking testnet” via their Pre-Guardian Node client. The Pre-Guardian Node client is used to assess user’s Theta holdings, system hardware settings (must be high enough to stake and perform), and user uptime. This allows Theta to screen for high quality candidates who are dedicated to staking their tokens on the network, in exchange for earning a percentage of the inflation of Tfuel tokens as a reward.
2. Theta Network’s goal of 1,000 Guardian Nodes (ideal decentralization) is coming to fruition with a recent March announcement that 400 nodes have been invited to the Guardian Node testnet (with a current total of ~300 consistently live on the network). Decentralization is a hallmark for every blockchain project as it proves that the network is viable, impervious to 51% control attack or hacking, and that it can thrive via decentralized governance and votes.
3. Theta Network currently has 4 massive tech/blockchain Enterprise Validator Nodes (EVN), with a goal of 10 total. Enterprise Validator Nodes must hold a minimum of 2 million Theta and are reserved spots for only major corporations involved in gaming, media, and tech, so as to now allow “whales” to dominate the network. The current list of EVNs are Blockchain.com (largest wallet site), Binance.com (largest exchange by volume), Gumi Crypto (major Japanese game developer/publisher), and of course, one of the largest tech conglomerates in the world, Samsung!

Catalysts

1. Addition of USA exchanges allowing retail and institutional investors to own part of a burgeoning decentralized content delivery network that helps save video platforms from 40–80% of their CDN costs while increasing user engagement (users earning tokens) and encouraging users to recycle that money back into the content ecosystem/network.
2. Major video platforms will add Theta. During a recent AMA video, Theta CEO Mitch Liu hinted at a “one word name” major video platform in the works for integration into the Theta Network.
3. Samsung has yet to announce their participation as a Validator node staking (securing) the Theta Network. Also, Samsung is integrating Theta Network into their Smart TVs, plus Samsung has their own streaming service. We currently know that they are a Validator and they are integrating Theta into their Smart TVs, so it would only make sense if they adopt Theta Network as part of their content delivery solution for their video streaming service.
4. Upcoming (per roadmap) Theta client which will allow anybody, anywhere in the world, to open an app which will share their unlimited internet connection/bandwidth, turning their home internet into a mini server/caching node. This will help create a mesh network of interconnected computers, increasing interconnectivity, data transmission, and help the internet become more efficient. This allows anybody with an unlimited connection to earn money (Tfuel tokens) when they’re not at home or not needing full bandwidth. This also allows video platforms to “offload” bandwidth at a reduced rate than traditional CDN (content delivery networks).

Conclusion

Theta Network is the Uber of home internet, allowing you to earn money from your unlimited home internet connection. This is a brilliant evolution to the old internet infrastructure as a solution and adaptation to the ever increasing quality and consumption of high quality HD and VR video content.