Key Takeaways
- World Mobile Network was built on Cardano, and has since expanded to create its own Layer-3 on Coinbase’s Base network.
- Cardano still provides essential crypto, NFT, and ecosystem infrastructure to World Mobile.
- The WMTX token operates on Base, Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Cardano.
An announcement from World Mobile Network regarding its new decentralized identity solution has kicked up a ruckus between Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson and Delphi Labs co-founder José Maria Macedo.
World Mobile, which initially launched on Cardano, has since shifted its focus to a Layer-3 network built on Base. While the project appears to be growing, questions remain about whether it has fully moved on from its Cardano roots.
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With or Without Cardano
According to Macedo , co-founder of Delphi Labs, the World Mobile would be “more well-known” if it “hadn’t made the mistake of launching on Cardano first instead of Solana or EVM.”
This prompted a heated response from Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson, kicking off a social media argument between the two.
If you said this to me in person, you’d be calling me daddy within 5 minutes
maybe spend less time on cringe 12yr old banter, more time worrying about your ghost chain and your fat ass pic.twitter.com/rJu6hYO7Jd
— José Maria Macedo (@ZeMariaMacedo) March 25, 2025
Hoskinson explained that Macedo “threw the first punch completely unprovoked.”
Macedo responded by explaining he’d “simply shared his opinion” that launching on Cardano was a bad move for World Mobile.
He added that a network’s value proposition needs to be more than just good tech; it also needs to be in the userbase, “liquidity, integrations, and general ecosystem.”
Micky Watkins, Founder and CEO of World Mobile Group, responded to Macedo, throwing his weight behind Cardano.
“Like we’ve said many times, everything happens for a reason. Cardano wasn’t a mistake for me. We might still be under the radar, but we’re still the undisputed DePIN kings. Each one of our partners is special and we carry them with us on this movement to reclaim power.“
Indeed, over the years, World Mobile has extended its presence into other blockchains, including Cosmos, Ethereum, and BNB Chain. To achieve its aims, it then opted to build its own Layer-3 on top of Base network.
World Mobile employs a hybrid approach despite going its own way, and its founding network remains a vital component for core ecosystem elements.
Cardano Still Essential?
To begin with, World Mobile built its native crypto token, WMTX, on Cardano. This includes utilizing its smart contracts, providing staking services, and hosting its “EarthNode ” non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The EarthNode NFT system is a crucial element of World Mobile. Akin to running an Ethereum node, it decentralizes and reinforces the network, earning operators with WMTX token rewards along the way.
This can exist without Cardano and be migrated to any of the other networks World Mobile leverages. But it hasn’t, and it’s unlikely to completely split from Cardano as the network’s fees, NFT support, and staking efficiency put it ahead of the other networks on World Mobile.
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