Time to research: DENTNet

10 min readOct 17, 2024

DENTNet is a global blockchain that tracks telecommunications assets including mobile data and frequencies. The network uses a Nominated Proof of Stake consensus method and includes telco-specific features such as operator sponsorship and asset expiry.

Since the 1990s, mobile network operators have used their own software for accounting, subscriber management, and traffic control. However, DENT’s global blockchain can now deliver many of these services through a single platform.

This will enable operators and businesses to automate procedures, cut costs, and accelerate innovation. DENTNet will be utilized by mobile operators and their partners, including corporations, resellers, and service providers. DENT Wireless Limited will be the first operator to utilize DENTNet.

DENTNet began as the future operating system for modern mobile operators, including services such as buying and selling telecommunication assets, automatic accounting, and eSIM handling, among others.

With their Operator Sponsorship concept, they may establish wallets in which an operator pays the costs. This allows mobile operators to give their subscribers with native wallets, both custodial and non-custodial.

Customers that buy mobile assets want to use them. They make phone calls or utilize mobile data, and the remaining balance is removed. DENTNet has implemented Telco Asset Usage, which allows for the tracking of asset balances on-chain.

Mobile operators are selling expiring assets, such as mobile data packages. Unlike other blockchain protocols, DENTNet includes a Telco Asset Expiry management feature to account for market-specific rules.

DENT Gigastore

The DENT Gigastore SDK allows you to easily integrate eSIM sale features into your apps. It allows you to easily start your own reselling service.

It allows you to give your users or customers access to data packages by incorporating the Gigastore API into your website, software, or app. Their free point-of-sale store allows you to simply resell products that do not require API integration.

DBOS

DENT, using DBOS, can let you segment your data flow at 28 sites across the world. That means your data will not have to travel back to a home network on the other side of the world, which can cause delays and problems with VoIP and IoT.

DBOS is independent of your provider, giving you more freedom to choose what best meets your needs.

Key features:

Lower latency on all devices
Localized internet experience
Monthly subscription service to save money
Easy to use

DENT App

DENT provides mobile internet while you are traveling for fun or business. Their Gigabytes are always usable throughout 125 countries. There is no longer a requirement to install separate eSIMs for each country.

Dual-eSIM capabilities on the iPhone allows you to keep your phone number and local provider. With DENT, there is no contract required; simply pay for data as you go and use it for the next year, or select a bundle from the Marketplace with the validity you desire.

Check out this list to see which countries are available.

DENTNet Core Concepts

Accounts

An account is a digital representation of a DENTNet user identified by a unique cryptographic key pair. The public key is used to send and receive digital assets, but the private key, which is kept hidden, validates ownership and allows transactions on DENTNet.

Accounts can store token balances such as $DENT and mobile assets such as voice minutes, and they can interface with smart contracts (pallets) to accomplish tasks like as purchasing data on DENTNet.

Transactions

DENTNet builds blockchains efficiently using Substrate, a modular architecture. Substrate includes modules known as pallets and support libraries, which comprise DENTNet’s base layer. On top, there are custom pallets and modules that support telecom-related functionality, as well as other features.

It is possible to call and execute functions from each functional pallet on DENTNet, as long as you have the necessary permissions. Extrinsic transactions are defined as calls that originate outside of the blockchain runtime.

Extrinsics often include a signature, data relevant to the invoked function, a reference to the pallet and call that it is intended for, and some technical information like as the nonce and runtime version.

Extrinsics can be one of 3 distinct types:

Signed transactions: these must contain the signature of the account sending the inbound request to the runtime. With signed transactions, the account used to submit the request typically pays the transaction fee and must sign it using the account’s private key.
Unsigned transactions: these don’t carry any information about who submitted the transaction, since the format of this type of transaction doesn’t require a signature.
Inherents: are a special type of unsigned transaction made by block authors that carry information required to build a block such as timestamps, storage proofs, and uncle blocks.

Events

Extrinsics represent information from the outside world, whereas events represent information from the network, particularly specific pallets. Extrinsics can cause events; for example, while claiming staking rewards, the Staking pallet emits a Reward event to notify the user of the amount deposited to their account, and the Vending pallet emits a PriceUpdated event when the price of a mobile package changes.

Operators can subscribe to events and use them to activate actions in their own systems, such as refreshing an app’s user interface or warning users about low balances via push notification.

Fees

Storage and compute resources are constrained, much as any other blockchain network. Transaction fees keep individual parties from utilizing excessive resources.

DENTNet follows the Substrate weight-based charge model. Fees are collected prior to transaction execution, and once paid, nodes carry out the transaction.

Treasury

The Treasury is a collection of funds derived from block production incentives, transaction fees, slashing, and staking inefficiencies. Tokens deposited in the Treasury are determined by the following mechanisms:

Transaction fees: 80% of the transaction fees of every submitted extrinsic is diverted to the Treasury, while 20% is given to the block producers.
Staking inefficiencies: The network strives to achieve the optimal staking rate (see Staking). Stakers’ Annual Percentage Yield (APY) declines when the actual staking rate is less than the ideal staking rate. To keep inflation under certain limits, the system does not produce fewer tokens. Instead, a portion of the overall compensation for stakeholders is transferred to the Treasury.
Slashes: When validators and nominators are slashed, a portion of the resulting tokens is transferred to the Treasury. These are usually unusual and surprising events.
Transfers: Anyone can send funds to the Treasury immediately. This is an uncommon occurrence that should not happen frequently.

The outflow is determined by the following mechanisms:

Burned tokens: At the conclusion of each spend period, 1% of the available funds are burned.
Investments in infrastructure: The funds will be utilized to enhance and expand the DENT infrastructure, such as operator integrations, extending local breakouts, improving country rates, and so on.
Investments in ecosystem growth: Will be used to promote the ecosystem’s growth through marketing and sales efforts.

$DENTX

$DENTX is the native unit of exchange of DENTNet, similar to $ETH on Ethereum or $BTC on the Bitcoin network. $DENTX is used to:

pay fees such as transaction fees
stake for the security of the network

DENTNet Advanced Concepts

Telecommunication Assets

DENTNet can handle a variety of communications assets. Telecommunication assets contain expiration dates, as well as parameters such as nation coverage and service quality (5G, LTE, 3G).

DENTNet is designed to handle these features and offer a scalable system for issuing, trading, and utilizing these assets.

The goal is to incorporate the entire telco stack in DENTNet, from issuing an eSIM to purchasing and selling various types of telco assets and subscriptions, as well as supporting duties such as refund administration.

Operator Sponsorship

To interact with a blockchain, you must often pay a transaction charge (also known as a gas fee). On DENTNet, the native unit for paying fees is $DENTX, whereas $DENT is the token for purchasing mobile data, voice minutes, and so on.

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Most subscribers who solely engage with DENTNet via their operator do not have (or want) a $DENTX balance. To address this, DENTNet offers a feature called Operator Sponsorship. This allows an operator to identify a user’s wallet as sponsored and agree to pay all network fees associated with it.

This is performed via a bespoke pallet called Sponsor, which is fully integrated with the DENTNet fee charging mechanism. If a wallet is listed as sponsored, any fees associated with it are charged to the sponsor, allowing the user to interact with DENTNet even if they do not have any $DENTX balance.

Telco Asset Usage

Real-time usage will be tracked in a comparable off-chain, L2 system (or OCS in telecoms parlance) based on the kind of asset and units (for example, voice minutes or data bytes).

The quantity of used data/minutes/etc. is rolled up and synchronized on a regular basis with the DENTNet main network. and sends the total value. DENTNet allows batched writes, allowing operators to synchronize several telecom asset packages in a single transaction.

The vending pallet tracks usage, and the telecom asset is locked for sale/transfer while in use. DENTNet allows you to access balances and set expirations directly on the blockchain.

Telco Asset Expiry

Most telecom assets, such as mobile data or voice minutes, have an on-chain expiration date, similar to traditional pricing systems. Once the expiration date has passed, the on-chain asset is no longer useful or transferable.

The corresponding off-chain (OCS) is responsible for enforcing the asset’s expiry. Because each issued asset is accompanied by a DENTX deposit, it is the responsibility of the issuing operator to burn the assets and reclaim the deposits.

Polkadot SDK

The Polkadot SDK, sometimes referred to as the Substrate framework, is a developer toolkit for creating blockchains and decentralized apps.

It includes a suite of tools, frameworks, and templates that make the blockchain development process easier. DENTNet employs some of these tools as a strong foundation, including:

Substrate Framework: Substrate is the core framework of the Polkadot SDK. It offers a modular architecture that allowed $DENT to customize and configure various components of DENTNet, such as introducing telecommunication assets, staking, and token economics.
Rust Programming Language: DENTNet is primarily written in the Rust programming language, which is known for its performance, safety, and suitability for blockchain development.
Runtime Environment: Substrate provides a runtime environment that has been modified and optimized for DENTNet.

WebAssembly (WASM)

Substrate-based blockchains, such as DENTNet and Polkadot, employ WebAssembly as the runtime compilation target.

Simply said, the runtime for a blockchain node on DENTNet is agnostic of machine architecture and can operate in any browser. Still, DENTNet provides an executable for Linux workstations that initiates the wasm-based runtime.

This split enables DENTNet to update the blockchain logic without explicitly updating all executables on nodes and validators. Initially, modifications to the executable may occur, such as to improve the wasm interpreter.

Blockchain Tools

Explorer

DENTNet Explorer is a blockchain explorer that lets you interact with and explore the DENTNet network. DENTNet explorers, like etherscan, provide precise information about blockchain transactions, blocks, and addresses. Understanding how to efficiently use DENTNet Explorer allows you to follow transactions, verify payments, and examine blockchain activities.

Bridge

DENT Bridge is a useful tool for transferring $DENT and $DENTX from the Ethereum network to DENTNet and, if necessary, back.

Dashboard

The DENTNet Dashboard is a web application that enables users to participate in the DENTNet staking ecosystem.

Validator UI

The Validator UI is based on PolkadotJS. It can be accessed at https://main.dentnet.io/polkadotjs.

Wallets

DENTNet supports several ways to create a wallet. The following is the list of supported wallets:

Polkadot Ledger App — the official Polkadot Ledger app is compatible with DENTNet
SubWallet — a wallet for iOS and Android and has a Chrome Extension and Web Dashboard
Nova Wallet — a wallet for iOS and Android
PolkadotJS — extension similar to Metamask
Vault App — an (offline) mobile app for iOS and Android to create and manage secure non-custodial wallets