Shannon Actors Deep Dive

Ecosystem roles and how they connect

The Shannon upgrade has fully revised the Pocket Network ecosystem, creating a system where builders of many kinds generate value and are rewarded directly for it.

The protocol captures value from connecting applications with an expanding universe of data sources and services, then redistributes that value across all the contributors in the ecosystem. Each role is incentivized to optimize its own function, while the protocol coordinates the flow of work and rewards.

Key stakeholders include:

Sovereign Applications

They provide stake in exchange for access to data sources.

Build clients with access to a wide variety of data sources through a single Pocket Network entry point. Example: a DeFi dashboard staking $POKT to ensure reliable, multi-chain data feeds for its users

Gateways

They aim to acquire users and improve their experience by streamlining access to Pocket Network.

Provide access to the network with additional UX features and service guarantees on top of the protocol Example: an enterprise gateway offering SLA-backed Ethereum and Solana endpoints with integrated monitoring tools

Suppliers

They host and operate the data sources that serve application requests.

Focus on running infrastructure without needing to acquire users directly. Example: a node operator specializing in high-performance Cosmos and EVM infrastructure that earns by reliably serving relays

Sources

They create and publish the data layer that fuels applications and services.

Build data sources without taking on the cost of access infrastructure or user acquisition. Example: a weather data provider publishing open APIs into the Pocket Network, monetized automatically through the protocol

The Shannon upgrade makes Pocket Network permissionless, scalable, and interoperable with both Cosmos and EVM ecosystems. It introduces improved tokenomics and enables every layer of the ecosystem to thrive. Each actor is rewarded for contributing to the growth and resilience of the network, ensuring that value flows back to the builders, operators, and communities that make it work.

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With the actors defined, the next step is to see how they’re held together: the economics of $POKT — the minting, burning, and incentive flows that sustain the network...