The internet is a utility, but its quality is a mystery. You can see a bill from your provider, but the map of where service actually stutters, buffers, or drops out is mostly blank. For regulators, ISPs, and even public venues, proving a problem exists often requires expensive, proprietary monitoring gear. Qualoo, a startup founded in 2023, is betting that the best way to fill in that map is to pay the people living in the dead zones to do it themselves [Qualoo, retrieved 2026].
It's building what it calls a decentralized physical infrastructure network, or DePIN, for real-time internet diagnostics. The core product is a mobile app that runs passive and active tests for speed, latency, and packet loss, then rewards users with its native QXT token for contributing the data [Zeepalm, January 2025]. That crowdsourced intelligence, which the company says now spans more than 150 countries, is then packaged for telecom operators, ISPs, and regulators who need a ground-truth view of network performance [Qualoo, March 2025].
The bet on decentralized truth
Qualoo's wedge is a combination of geographic scale and incentive alignment. Traditional monitoring relies on operator-deployed hardware, which is expensive and can't be everywhere. Qualoo argues that data from actual user devices, aggregated from a global pool of contributors, paints a more accurate picture of the quality of experience [Qualoo, retrieved 2026]. To get that data, it doesn't just ask for volunteers. It pays them, in QXT tokens, creating a financial flywheel for network auditing.
The ambition extends beyond an app. The company says its "Qualoo Core" software can be ported directly onto routers and customer premises equipment, creating a permanent, hardware-verified sensor network [Graeme Wardrop, retrieved 2026]. For commercial buyers, it offers dashboards, ISP accountability logs, and even a "Work-Ready" certification badge for venues, all backed by this decentralized data layer.
The team and its telecom roots
The founding team brings a mix of telecom experience and blockchain commercial know-how. Keith Dawson, the founder and CEO, has a public profile focused on data analytics and telecommunications [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026]. Co-founder Eduardo Tapia, listed as CSOO and technology lead, brings over 25 years as a senior technology executive [Eduardo Tapia, retrieved 2026]. The third co-founder, Thomas Newby, is also the CEO of Bits of Gold, a cryptocurrency brokerage, suggesting a deliberate strategy around token economics and distribution [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026]. The company claims over 15 years of collective telecom audit experience in its materials [DePIN Hub, retrieved 2026].
Traction and token mechanics
Qualoo's primary traction metric is user-contributed data. After its beta mobile app launch, the company reported collecting more than 45,000 survey results, which combine technical diagnostics with subjective user experience feedback [Qualoo, March 2025]. The app is listed as available on Google Play in over 177 countries [Qualoo, retrieved 2026].
The entire system is designed around the QXT token, with a hard cap of 500 million tokens planned [Qualoo Whitepaper, retrieved 2026]. The model is two-sided: users earn tokens for contributing data, and those tokens can later be used to pay for Qualoo's analytics services. The company also plans to use the blockchain to record service quality assessments and certificates for ISPs [Qualoo Whitepaper, retrieved 2026].
| Founder | Role | Notable Background |
|---|---|---|
| Keith Dawson | Founder & CEO | Data analytics, telecommunications, and blockchain focus [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026]. |
| Eduardo Tapia | Co-Founder, CSOO/CTO | 25+ years as a senior technology executive [Eduardo Tapia, retrieved 2026]. |
| Thomas Newby | Co-Founder & CEO | Also Co-Founder & CEO of cryptocurrency brokerage Bits of Gold [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026]. |
The path to paying customers
The most significant open question for Qualoo is the transition from a network of data contributors to a network of paying enterprise clients. The public record does not yet show a named telecom operator, ISP, or regulator as a commercial customer. The business model hinges on these institutional buyers valuing the decentralized dataset enough to pay for it, likely in fiat, even as the contributor side operates on a token economy.
The company has attracted backing from blockchain-focused investors, including IoTeX and Arcanum Ventures, and was part of the DePIN Surf accelerator cohort, which suggests credibility within the Web3 infrastructure niche [Arcanum Ventures, retrieved 2026]. However, conflicting reports exist about its total funding, with one source stating it has never raised capital [Prospeo, retrieved 2026]. This ambiguity underscores the early, proof-of-concept stage of the venture.
- Data quality vs. quantity. A survey from a smartphone is not equivalent to data from carrier-grade probes. Qualoo must prove its aggregated, crowdsourced data is accurate and consistent enough for multi-million-dollar network investment decisions.
- The two-sided market. The model requires balancing token incentives to grow the sensor network with generating enough enterprise revenue to sustain the company. A collapse in token value could starve the data supply.
- Regulatory navigation. Offering ISP certifications based on crowdsourced data could invite legal challenges from the rated companies, especially if the methodology is contested.
The incumbent in the crosshairs
For all its blockchain scaffolding, Qualoo's real competition is the entrenched practice of internal monitoring. Large ISPs spend millions on proprietary gear from companies like Cisco, Juniper, or Viavi to monitor their own networks. Their incentive is to use that controlled data for internal engineering, not to share a potentially unflattering public map. Qualoo's bet is that external, user-verified truth has a market,with regulators pushing for transparency and businesses demanding proof of service-level agreements.
A back-of-the-envelope calculation highlights the scale of the ask. If Qualoo wants to certify just 1% of the world's estimated 1.5 billion fixed broadband subscriptions as "Work-Ready," that's 15 million endpoints. At its reported pace of 45,000 survey results, it has mapped roughly 0.003% of that target. The gap is vast, but it also defines the opportunity: the internet is billions of points of light, and almost none of them are independently measured.
Qualoo's success won't be measured in tokens minted, but in whether it can become the trusted, neutral source that a telecom regulator cites in a fine, or a real estate developer uses to choose an internet provider for a new building. To get there, it must beat the inertia of the status quo, where the company that sells the connection also gets to grade its own homework.
Sources
- [Qualoo, retrieved 2026] Qualoo homepage | https://www.qualoo.io/
- [Zeepalm, January 2025] Qualoo - Internet Mapping dApp | https://www.zeepalm.com/our-work/qualoo
- [Qualoo, March 2025] Major Project Milestone Reached | https://www.qualoo.io/blog/major-project-milestone-reached
- [Graeme Wardrop, retrieved 2026] LinkedIn post on Qualoo Core | https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-wardrop-84aa5692/
- [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026] Keith Dawson profile | https://bn.linkedin.com/in/keith-dawson-912bbb20
- [Eduardo Tapia, retrieved 2026] Eduardo Tapia profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardotapia1
- [DePIN Hub, retrieved 2026] Qualoo company mention | https://www.depinhub.io/
- [Qualoo Whitepaper, retrieved 2026] Qualoo tokenomics document | https://www.qualoo.io/whitepaper
- [Arcanum Ventures, retrieved 2026] Arcanum Ventures is Backing Qualoo | https://www.arcanum.ventures/articles/partnership-qualoo/
- [Prospeo, retrieved 2026] Qualoo funding profile | https://prospeo.io/c/qualoo-revenue