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The People's Operator
The People's Operator (or TPO Mobile) was a mobile virtual network operator that provided mobile phone services in the United Kingdom via Three (though TPO had initially selected EE), and in the United States via the Sprint and T-Mobile networks. It was launched in 2012, with the stated aim of being an ethical mobile network operator. TPO said that their service gave private customers the opportunity to support good causes, charities, nonprofits, "progressive organisations" or "ethical groups" of their choice and receive updates on how their money was being spent, while businesses could fulfill their corporate social responsibility commitments. The company's stock lost nearly 90 percent in value in the year and a half after its launch. Trading of The People's Operator stock on the London exchange was suspended in July 2018, after the company failed to provide its 2017 financial reports. In December 2018, the company received a cash infusion from the holding company that was majority owner of Lycamobile. On 13 February 2019, TPO announced it had entered administration; its stock ceased trading on 26 February 2019.
TPO was launched on 19 November 2012. At launch, it was owned entirely by its three co-founders, Andrew Rosenfeld, Tom Gutteridge and Mark Epstein, with Rosenfeld being the primary financial backing for the company. The organisation has been based in Shoreditch, London. It was established with the stated aim of being an ethical mobile phone operator. At launch, Rosenfeld was the Chairman, with Gutteridge and Epstein as vice-chairs, and Alex Franks as the chief executive. In mid-2013, they launched a range of a range of 30-day rolling pay monthly SIM-only deals.
On 20 January 2014, TPO announced that Jimmy Wales had joined the organisation on a £250,000 annual salary as co-chair of the board, and had "taken a strategic stake in the business." Wales was quoted as saying that "TPO has huge potential for viral growth and the more it grows, the more money will pass to the people and communities that need it." TPO announced in January 2014 that it was aiming to launch its services in the United States and Europe within the next 12 months. Only weeks after Jimmy Wales joining the executive team, The Guardian reported in an interview with Wales that Wikipedia's article about the company had been written by a marketing consultant for the People's Operator, indicating the problem "with commerce entering Wikipedia". One financial reporter described the addition of Jimmy Wales as "not the greatest argument for backing a company".
In October 2014, the company announced that it intended to list publicly on London's Alternative Investment Market. It was estimated by Oscar Williams-Grut that the company could be worth £100 million upon its initial public offering. This was later described as a "hugely overblown price".
On 8 February 2015, Rosenfeld died after a short illness. Days later, Wales was appointed by the board as Rosenfeld's replacement as Executive Chairman. In October 2015, it was announced that Rosenfeld's son James had been appointed as a non-executive director of the firm, but less than 13 months later, James resigned from the position.
In January 2017, the company announced that Jimmy Wales would be replaced as board Chairman by Michael Butler, who has industry experience primarily with Inmarsat. Butler was to be paid with 2 million new shares of the company, carved from a 4 million-share subscription proposed by the company, pending approval by the AIM stock market. After Wales left and US operations were put up for sale, trading of The People's Operator stock on the London Stock Exchange was suspended on 2 July 2018, because the company had failed to release its 2017 financial reports.
TPO officially launched in the United States on 21 July 2015. Since its inception, the service runs as an MVNO on top of the Sprint wireless CDMA network, and later also on the T-Mobile US wireless GSM network, which started the week of 21 March 2016. TPO offered prospective US customers a $32-per-month option with unlimited talk time and text messages and 2 gigabytes of data.
In late September 2015, the company reported its financial performance through the first six months of the year, revealing it had significantly widened its pretax loss to £4,400,000 from a year-earlier loss of only £600,000.
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The People's Operator
The People's Operator (or TPO Mobile) was a mobile virtual network operator that provided mobile phone services in the United Kingdom via Three (though TPO had initially selected EE), and in the United States via the Sprint and T-Mobile networks. It was launched in 2012, with the stated aim of being an ethical mobile network operator. TPO said that their service gave private customers the opportunity to support good causes, charities, nonprofits, "progressive organisations" or "ethical groups" of their choice and receive updates on how their money was being spent, while businesses could fulfill their corporate social responsibility commitments. The company's stock lost nearly 90 percent in value in the year and a half after its launch. Trading of The People's Operator stock on the London exchange was suspended in July 2018, after the company failed to provide its 2017 financial reports. In December 2018, the company received a cash infusion from the holding company that was majority owner of Lycamobile. On 13 February 2019, TPO announced it had entered administration; its stock ceased trading on 26 February 2019.
TPO was launched on 19 November 2012. At launch, it was owned entirely by its three co-founders, Andrew Rosenfeld, Tom Gutteridge and Mark Epstein, with Rosenfeld being the primary financial backing for the company. The organisation has been based in Shoreditch, London. It was established with the stated aim of being an ethical mobile phone operator. At launch, Rosenfeld was the Chairman, with Gutteridge and Epstein as vice-chairs, and Alex Franks as the chief executive. In mid-2013, they launched a range of a range of 30-day rolling pay monthly SIM-only deals.
On 20 January 2014, TPO announced that Jimmy Wales had joined the organisation on a £250,000 annual salary as co-chair of the board, and had "taken a strategic stake in the business." Wales was quoted as saying that "TPO has huge potential for viral growth and the more it grows, the more money will pass to the people and communities that need it." TPO announced in January 2014 that it was aiming to launch its services in the United States and Europe within the next 12 months. Only weeks after Jimmy Wales joining the executive team, The Guardian reported in an interview with Wales that Wikipedia's article about the company had been written by a marketing consultant for the People's Operator, indicating the problem "with commerce entering Wikipedia". One financial reporter described the addition of Jimmy Wales as "not the greatest argument for backing a company".
In October 2014, the company announced that it intended to list publicly on London's Alternative Investment Market. It was estimated by Oscar Williams-Grut that the company could be worth £100 million upon its initial public offering. This was later described as a "hugely overblown price".
On 8 February 2015, Rosenfeld died after a short illness. Days later, Wales was appointed by the board as Rosenfeld's replacement as Executive Chairman. In October 2015, it was announced that Rosenfeld's son James had been appointed as a non-executive director of the firm, but less than 13 months later, James resigned from the position.
In January 2017, the company announced that Jimmy Wales would be replaced as board Chairman by Michael Butler, who has industry experience primarily with Inmarsat. Butler was to be paid with 2 million new shares of the company, carved from a 4 million-share subscription proposed by the company, pending approval by the AIM stock market. After Wales left and US operations were put up for sale, trading of The People's Operator stock on the London Stock Exchange was suspended on 2 July 2018, because the company had failed to release its 2017 financial reports.
TPO officially launched in the United States on 21 July 2015. Since its inception, the service runs as an MVNO on top of the Sprint wireless CDMA network, and later also on the T-Mobile US wireless GSM network, which started the week of 21 March 2016. TPO offered prospective US customers a $32-per-month option with unlimited talk time and text messages and 2 gigabytes of data.
In late September 2015, the company reported its financial performance through the first six months of the year, revealing it had significantly widened its pretax loss to £4,400,000 from a year-earlier loss of only £600,000.