Fees

Initially, applications and SDKs will not be charged fees by the Network for using the relay services. However, given there is a cost to provide this service in a privacy-preserving and censorship resistant way (i.e. the costs aren’t being covered by selling data or gatekeeping the ecosystem) it may be necessary, when the ecosystem reaches an appropriate stage of maturity, that the introduction of fees could be proposed by the community, discussed, and decided upon through governance.

During this time, efforts are focused on:

• Encouraging adoption and growth
• Minimizing disruption to users
• Allowing time for necessary infrastructure adjustments
• Supporting progress toward future permissionless operation

All the Network participants groups will be receiving WCT tokens to prepare them for when this is enabled. If additional functionality is layered into the Network, new fee models may emerge which will involve fees to be paid in the WCT token.

It’s important to note that the mechanism for charging fees is intended to ensure that the end user does not have to pay to make a connection and has no other friction added to their user experience. The apps and SDKs, as the primary beneficiaries of the connections, will be responsible for paying the fees associated with network usage when a fee system is implemented.

Any decision to implement fees will be subject to community discussion and governance votes, ensuring that all stakeholders have a say in the economic model of the Network.