Thanks @Chris200712, this is very helpful info. You seem like the sort of person who would make a great node provider and contribute to the network in more ways than one. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
Recently there’s been quite a bit of discussion on the IC about strengthening KYC requirements for node providers, and introducing additional measures to help support decentralisation and verifiability. These discussions are still ongoing, but have already lead to some changes, and there’s also a pilot programme being planned for more major changes (node provider audits).
One of the side effects of these changes is a proposed minimum number of nodes that a node provider should own to be able join the network.
Please don’t be disheartened by this. I don’t believe it’s set in stone, and requirements may evolve as a result of findings from the pilot programme. I’d encourage you to contribute to the discussion in that thread once you’ve read up on some of the context - and mention how the planned changes would affect you as a prospective node provider.
One of the ways that you can track and/or participate in these discussions is by attending the periodic node provider working group meetings. There’s also related discussion on various threads.
Many thanks again, and I hope to see you around on this forum. I’m sure you have a wealth of knowledge and experience that could benefit many discussions.