The People's Smooth Operator

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:32 pm

Jimmy Wales joins mobile network The People's Operator
Wired, 20 January 2014 link

Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia, has joined The People's Operator, a mobile network that gives 25 percent of its profits to charitable causes, as co-chair, it was announced today at DLD14. He will play a role in all parts of the business, but with a particular focus on driving the growth of the global community. The People's Operator (TPO) is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) which first launched in November 2012, piggybacking on EE's network infrastructure. It was founded by British entrepreneur Andrew Rosenfeld, who co-founded Minerva, along with Mark Epstein and Tom Gutteridge who co-founded Minerva, along with Mark Epstein and Tom Gutteridge who worked together at a communications company called Mass1. It was founded on the idea that a mobile network could be used to change lives for the better.

In addition to passing on 25 percent of the company's profits to the TPO Foundation (which distributes the funds to good causes), the company passes 10 percent of each customer's spend directly directly to causes chosen by the customer. TPO can stay competitive as it doesn't spend money on marketing (mobile operators tend to spend an enormous amount on marketing in order to stand out with an undifferentiated product) -- it relies almost entirely on word of mouth. [...] Wales highlights Toms shoes, which gives a pair of shoes to an impoverished child for each pair of shoes the company sells, as an example of another successful social business. "It really took off because it's a compelling proposition and they don't have to spend tens of millions of dollars to build a brand," he says. [...]

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales backs 'viral mobile network' The People's Operator
Jimmy Wales hopes that Wikipedia and other public-facing causes will benefit from the international growth of The People's Operator
The Telegraph, 20 January 2014 link

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has been appointed as co-chair and taken a strategic stake in The People’s Operator (TPO), a British mobile network that allows customers to donate a portion of their phone bill to an organisation or charity of their choice. Launched in November 2012, TPO operates in the same way as any other mobile network, offering a variety of call, text and data packages. However, 10 percent of customers' call, text and data spend is directed to a good cause. [...]

Jimmy Wales joins The People's Operator, looks to US launch
The Wikipedia co-founder becomes co-chair of UK-based TPO, which raises money for charity and is looking to launch internationally.
CNET 20 January 2014 link

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is joining The People's Operator, a UK-based mobile provider focused on raising money for charity, as co-chairman. The company plans to expand to more countries, with the US first on its list. "I get a lot of pitches for a lot of things, which fall into two camps: they're either well meaning but unworkable, or workable but not that inspiring," Wales told CNET in a phone interview today. "[TPO] has the potential to raise an enormous amount of money for good causes, and I can see how it works." [...]

Jimmy Wales takes his Wikipedia learnings to the mobile industry as Co-Chair of The People’s Operator
The Next Web, 20 January 2014 link

Way back in November 2012, we reported on an interesting new initiative called The People’s Operator (TPO), a new “ethical” mobile network for the UK that promises 25% of profits to charity. As with most of Britain’s fifty-or-so networks, TPO is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), and piggyback’s off EE’s mobile infrastructure. TPO initially launched as a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) network, but then went on to offer SIM-only contracts too, covering data, text and call bundles. Now, an interesting development has come to fruitifruition at the DLD14 conference in Munich, Germany, where Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has announced he’s joining the board of the company and will be taking up the Co-Chair position alongside founder Andrew Rosenfeld.

We managed to grab a chat with Wales ahead of the announcement, to see exactly how this came about and what his new role will entail. Wales is, of course, better-known as the main man behind the Wikimedia Foundation‘s myriad of Wiki-based projects – the most well-known one being Wikipedia. So how, exactly, does this ethos tie-in with what he’ll be doing with TPO? Well, it’s all about building a sense of community. “The one thing I know is how to build large, online communities based around people coming together for a common purpose,” says Wales. “Where people can come together en-masse and do things they believe in.” [...] Indeed, from Wales’ perspective, he will be involved in the strategy and implementation of building a community around the TPO brand, which will include things like developing software for online initiatives, but will also entail “communities of interested parties”, which basically means working with those who stand to directly benefit from the donations. Good causes, in other words.

However, Wales also revealed an interesting facet of his role will involve helping the company shed its UK-only credentials and launch into the US, Europe and beyond. While no timeline was given for this, Wales did reveal a “dream” would be to enter the US within the next twelve months, but he wasn’t committed to any date. [...] So what does this mean for Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation – will it have an impact on his work there? “My life is very flexible and I do whatever I like – I still edit Wikipedia every day, and I’m still active in other things,” says Wales. “But I may have to do less of some things – I’ll find the time though.” [...]

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales joins The People's Operator
Mobile Magazine, 20 January 2013 link

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is joining The People’s Operator MVNO as co-Chair. The appointment of Wales as co-Chair of the EE MVNO comes ahead of TPO's planned launch in the United States this year. Wales has taken a strategic stake in the business and will take a central and active role in the MVNO. TPO said Wales' experience with Wikipedia has proven how communities can grow virally, adding that Wales expects similar viral growth as communities work together to support good causes across the globe. Driving 'the growth of a global community that connects as a force for good' will be one of Wales' key tasks as co-Chair of TPO. [...]

The_People's_Operator (T-H-L)

The People's Operator website link

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 8:35 pm

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales joins The People's Operator as co-chair
The Inquirer, 20 January 2014 link

[...] While many might not have heard of the MVNO, that's likely about to change with Jimmy Wales having been appointed as co-chair of TPO today. Wales said, "TPO puts customers and the causes they care about first. With over four billion mobile phone subscribers forecast for 2016 worldwide, 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. Only a small percentage in global take up will make a massive difference to people's lives. Just as Wikipedia grew virally as communities wanted to work together to liberate knowledge, so I believe TPO will grow in a similar way as communities work together to support good causes across the globe."

With the Wikipedia founder on board, it appears that TPO is looking to expand globally, with reports claiming that the firm plans to tackle the US market first. Andrew Rosenfeld, founder and co-chair of TPO added, "The TPO philosophy is to share its success with those who really need it. Donating to good causes through commercial success, and empowering the customer is an idea whose time has now come. "This is why I'm so excited that Jimmy, who used the power of communities to change the world, is taking the lead at TPO to do the same again."

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is selling SIM cards for charity
The Verge, 20 January 2014 link

[...] The service is a virtual network, so all the coverage involved is leased from larger carriers like Orange and O2, but Wales thinks the bloated marketing budgets of most telecoms will give The People's Operator an edge. "People are spending huge sums of money for customer acquisition and awareness," Wales told The Verge. "If we can divert that marketing spend and say, instead of spending that money on TV commercials, we're going to spend it on donating to good causes, and persuade our user base to spread the company's offering through word of mouth, that's a workable business model." At the moment, TPO only operates within the UK, but plans to expand to other countries as its user base grows.

Google has aggregated 30 stories about Wales and his People's Operator; the cynical comments on many of them are worth reading.

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:07 am

This is going to be a lot of fun, picking apart. I already see that TPO's Wikipedia article is infested with COI editors and paid marketing shills.

Unread post by **Midsize Jake** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 7:36 am

“The one thing I know is how to build large, online communities based around people coming together for a common purpose,” says Wales. “Where people can come together en-masse and do things they believe in.”

I can see how this might work out, actually. Instead of having something like a "Friends and Family Program," where people can make free calls to a small group of pre-selected numbers, TPO could have a "Vast Army of Sockpuppets Program," where people can make free calls to their own phone, except that they'd show up on their website (and reported to the NSA) as calls to someone completely unrelated.

And then, 10 percent of the monthly fees can be donated to groups dedicated to destroying cultural traditions and putting people in the publishing and education industries out of work, and since everyone will want to get in on that, no advertising will be required!

Why, it's brilliant!

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 12:33 pm

Here's what gets me... most of the news stories say: "Customers can choose to donate to any charity of their choice".

However, Wired's Olivia Solon more wisely reported:

One hurdle TPO will need to overcome is the preconception that the company is politically-motivated, with links to the Labour Party and Unite. Rosenfeld is indeed a Labour party supporter and donor and in September 2013, the Labour Party launched a partnership with TPO in order to help fundraising. It encouraged party members to sign up to the mobile operator in order to give 10 percent of their bill back to the party. A similar deal was signed with Unite, leading publications such as the Daily Mail to say that the company "has been helping union thugs who are running a campaign of intimidation".

"This is not the case. It's just a relationship that he [Rosenfeld] had to start with. It's the Daily Mail banging on about rubbish as per usual," Wales said. Having Labour and Unite as 10 percent partners is part of TPO's strategy to support "progressive causes".

Mark Epstein told Wired.co.uk that these "progressive partners" are chosen based on how many people from the community express a preference to donate their 10 percent to that organisation. "Then we make a decision as a management team."

"If people want to donate their money to the Conservatives of Liberal Democrats they can," he says.

Wired.co.uk asks whether members would be able to donate their money to the English Defence League if they so wished. Epstein responded: "I couldn't arbitrarily decide now, but we probably wouldn't feel that was a correct fit for our brand."

I'm sure if Epstein draws the line at an anti-Islamic street protest movement, then the line will also be drawn elsewhere. Would Jimbo allow Creative America or Copyright Alliance (two pro-SOPA organizations) to be recipients of TPO money? What about Wikipediocracy, should it become a non-profit org?

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 12:48 pm

Wikipediots are busily sanitizing The People's Operator (T-H-L).

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:52 pm

Google News presents an embarrassment of riches today. Here is a sample.

Dial J for Jimmy
The Economist, 21 January 2014 link

[...] Trade unions including Unite, Britain’s biggest, and the Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents many public-sector workers, are encouraging members to sign up as a means of supporting their campaigns. The TPO hopes to spread virally, as customers encourage their friends to sign up, rather than by spending lots on marketing. It also hopes to expand abroad, though it is naming no dates. The first target would be America’s single market rather than Europe’s fragmented ones. When a tech luminary lends his name to a much less well-known enterprise, an obvious question arises: how much time will you give it? “Most of my time over the next three months, at least,” says Mr Wales, as he gets to know the business: “more than a typical chairman-of-the board kind of role.” That will include “sitting in the office, answering customer-service calls” as well as meeting the heads of leading charities. The chance that Jimmy Wales might pick up the phone may even bring in more custom.

Wikipedia’s founder just joined this UK business as co-chair – so what is it?
London Loves Business, 21 January 2014 link

As the creator of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales is undoubtedly one of the godfathers of the internet as we know it. So when he takes on a new role, it’s worth taking pretty serious note of the business he’s vesting his interests in. [...] Wales is being frank about his desire to change the way business is done for the greater good, even though he concedes it’s not TPO’s “primary focus”: “One of the things we hope to do is talk to businesses about their CSR goals and how they might meet it through something they’re doing already at no additional cost.” Wales has also said that he hopes some of TPO’s customers will use their donations to support Wikipedia. “It’s the kind of thing where any large public-facing cause like Wikipedia could end up getting very large amounts of support,” he said. TPO claims to give users a “great deal” since it cuts back on marketing spend. It offers SIM-only monthly contracts from £5 for 50 minutes, 50 texts and 50 MB of data, up to an astonishingly good deal for £14.99 a month that gives you unlimited minutes, unlimited data and unlimited texts (available until the end of February).

Can you hear him now? Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales gets into the cellphone game
NBC News, 21 January 2014 link

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has a new personal appeal for your money. This time, however, it's not for donations. Wales wants you to sign up for cellphone service. [...] After moving into the United States, the company could eventually expand into other countries. "If we think in a global context, the next billion people who come online, mostly from Africa, South America and Asia, will be using mobile devices," Wales said. "Many people will be able, for the first time, to learn about and collaborate on political issues online." Wales has generated plenty of goodwill with Wikipedia, the collaboratively edited Internet encyclopedia that regularly ranks among the top 10 most visited websites. Two years ago, the site joined Google, Reddit and others in protesting the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), something that endeared Wales to the online community.

Now that he has joined forces with a telecom company, he will have to face a host of new questions surrounding freedom of information and privacy, especially after the revelations leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden that the government had been collecting phone metadata from millions of Americans. "No one provider can really guarantee — the way I think we should guarantee through legislation — total privacy, but we will do what we can," Wales said. As for the progress made since SOPA was stopped, he warned against getting too complacent. "Defeating SOPA was a massive success for us, and the Internet. It hasn't come back — yet," he said. "Bad laws are like zombies, they always come back. I'm a pathological optimist, so I always think things are going to work out okay, but I think we all have to remain vigilant."

Jimmy Wales to lead 'ethical' mobile operator
The Guardian, 20 January 2014 link

[...] TPO’s charity partners include ChildLine, Emerge, Trinity Hospice, the NSPCC and the Big Issue Foundation, although ties with the Labour Party and the Unite industrial union have drawn negative press. In August, Jimmy Wales described David Cameron's plans to filter pornographic material as "an absolutely ridiculous idea that won't work".

Jimmy Wales’s Plan to Save the World With Mobile Phones
Re/code, 21 January 2014 link

Jimmy Wales, the founder and public face of Wikipedia would like to give $1 billion to charity, but he doesn’t have $1 billion to give. Today, Wales appeared on the stage at the Digital-Life-Design conference in Munich to announce he may have a way to do it after all. Wales announced that he has joined The People’s Operator, a U.K.-based wireless carrier that donates a portion of subscriber bills to charity. He will be chairman of the company. [...] With roughly 3.5 billion wireless subscribers around the world paying an average of $13 a month, “If we had just a two-percent market share around the world, that would mean a billion dollars a year going to charities,” he said. “If we get one percent market share, it would take two years to get to my billion dollars.” [...] “The money has to come from the promotional and marketing side,” he said. “We won’t be able to do massive ad campaigns and billboards, and all the flyers in the mail…It has to spread through the community. I think we can get a point where we’re signing people up, and they’re signing their friends up." TPO is running in the UK now and the plan is to expand to other countries, though he didn’t get specific. “We’re looking for different deals in different places around the world. We’re looking for investors to help us ramp this company up and go really big.” [...] The move suits Wales, he said, considering his strong, personal interest in mobile technology and the impact he thinks it can have around the world. “Just look at the size of the wireless industry,” he said. “When you see all the money that’s sloshing around in the marketing budgets, wouldn’t it be better for the world if that money could be channeled in a different way?”

Jimmy Wales joins as co-chair of The People's Operator
Wikipedia co-founder took a strategic stake in the company, which donates 25% of profits to charity
Vator News, 21 January 2014 link

The idea behind Wikipedia was always more than allowing people to have access to information on almost any topic at the click of a button, anything from KIm Kardashian to St. John the Baptist to the dangers of eyeball licking (yes, it is a real thing and, yes, it is super gross). It also came with a strong sense of community because of the democratic nature of the project. This was information passed down to all of us on high; it was being given to us by each other. Sure, that meant that the information could easily be false, but it also meant that we were in control of it. And that made the people on there a weird sort of family, in a way. Now Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has found himself a new project that he also hopes will foster a sense of community: a U.K.-based mobile provider called The People's Operator (TPO), which has the goal of using "the power of mobile to make good things happen." Wales has taken a "strategic stake" in the business (though no actual figures were revealed) and he has also been appointed as co-chair, alongside TPO co-founder Andrew Rosenfeld, on the company's board of directors, it was announced in a blog post on Monday. [...]

Smooth Operator: link

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:49 pm

Wikipedia founder backs "good causes" mobile operator
Reuters, 20 January 2014 link

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has taken a "substantial" stake in The People's Operator (TPO), a London-based mobile provider that pays 10 percent of revenue to good causes, with the aim of taking it to the United States and other markets. Wales said TPO had pulled off the difficult feat of creating an inspirational business that had solid commercial foundations. "Its big vision is to generate massive sums of money for good causes," he said in a telephone interview on Monday. "But when I worked though the numbers and looked at the business model, it made a lot of sense to me." [...] TPO, which is not yet profitable, does not spend huge sums on marketing, Epstein said, relying instead on word-of-mouth and promotion by the organisations it helps. Wales, who launched online encyclopaedia Wikipedia 13 years ago, said he would help TPO expand internationally, starting with the United States. He will be co-chairman of the company. "We need to go global as quickly as possible," he said. "We will really push into other markets as soon as we can get deals done." He said he would also help create a louder online buzz for TPO. "One of the reasons they were interested in me is to really build that online community - an online offer that has all the tools they need to accelerate virally."

The following demonstrates the sort of excitement, prestige and global influence Jimbo will bring to his new business:

Wikipedia Founder to Headline Tech 'Combine'
Inside Indiana Business, 16 January 2014 link

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Organizers of Bloomington's annual conference of technology and innovation, The Combine, have announced the first slate of speakers for this year. Wikipedia founder and CEO, Jimmy Wales will be this year's keynote speaker. Wales is an Internet entrepreneur, technology visionary and was named one of TIME Magazine's "100 Most Influential People." [...] The Combine is one of the Midwest's largest conferences for coders, innovators, new media, investors, and technologists, and brings attendees from across the country. The event features a high-energy pitch session, a lobby con featuring some of the most exciting start-up companies, and main stage speaker series. Wales will be joined in the speaker series by Internet cat sensation Lil Bub [...] Additional speakers will be announced in coming weeks. [...]

Lil_Bub (T-H-L)

Jimmy Wales says he'd go "ballistic" if NSA tried to gain backdoor into his new mobile operator
Tech Digest, 201 January 2014 link

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has told TechDigest that he will go "ballistic" if the NSA try to gain backdoor access into The People's Operator, the new mobile phone network that it has just been announced Wales will become co-chair of. Wales has previously spoken out in support of NSA whistleblowing Edward Snowden, calling him a "hero" - which is particularly interesting now that Wales is co-chair of a company in which privacy and security is going to be important, and one that he has been brought on board to help grow internationally, including in the US. Asked by us what he'd do if the NSA came and asked him for backdoor access, Wales said:

"I would go ballistic so at all I wouldn't do that, but no, as a virtual - so an MVNO - mobile virtual network operator so we partner with the people with infrastructure, so we have limited control over that aspect of things. However, we want to set best practices in the industry for privacy, data security and y'know, in whatever roles/influence I have either as a public person who opines on these issues, or in this role I would definitely say I'll campaign for our partners to say they should also be practicing the best practices. So, we definitely want to be a shining light in this area but I can't promise total control of the whole pipeline".

Wales explained to us that he was first attracted to the business by the fact that it both has a business model and a charitable motive - two things that don't often come together. Asked why a mobile operator is a good vehicle for fundraising, Wales replied: "Its a huge industry with a huge number of subscribers, and a lot of money flowing through" - rather than spend on a marketing budget, the plan is rely on word of mouth and goodwill of the customers. The cash that would go on advertising can then be spent on good causes instead. To manufacture this goodwill, Wales referred to needing a "rock solid offering", including good customer services - which will be music to the ears of anyone who has ever had to phone their mobile operator.

You can hear the whole interview here: [...]

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:55 pm

As for the "Cash for Peerages" accusation, it strikes me as irrelevant seeing as how Andrew hasn't got a peerage. :-) Jimbo Wales (talk) 14:25, 21 January 2014 (UTC)

Can someone explain this to Jimbo?

[Rosenfeld] was one of the 12 secret donors to Labour under Mr Blair’s regime. It later emerged Mr Rosenfeld had been in line for a peerage, along with seven other businessmen who financially aided the party – although there was never any suggestion he asked for it. He was never ennobled and his loan was repaid. MailOnline

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:57 pm

Lots of German-language coverage, of which this is succinctly representative:

Wikipedia-Gründer Jimmy Wales arbeitet für gemeinnützigen, britischen Telefonanbieter
ShortNews, 20 January 2014 link

Google translation:

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is working for non-profit UK telephone providers

Jimmy Wales is the founder of the largest free knowledge database Wikipedia and has a new goal set. He works in the future as a fundraiser for the nonprofit British telephone company "The People's operator". The company is a quarter of its profits from donated and Wales said: "I would like to donate a billion to good causes," which he now is trying to collect as employees.

How does a company donate a quarter of its profits if it's a non-profit?

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:39 pm

What are Britain's neo-fascists supposed to think about TPO? They are, after all, the Prime Minister's base.

Labour donor aided union thugs: How Miliband's millionaire friend gave vital support to Unite militants
The People's Operator, a mobile phone company founded by millionaire Andrew Rosenfeld gives free calls and text messages to Unite members
Signed a deal to supply phones to activists and funnel cash to the union
Daily Mail, 1 November 2014 link

A firm set up by one of Labour’s biggest donors has been helping union thugs who are running a campaign of intimidation. The People’s Operator, a mobile phone company founded by multi-millionaire Andrew Rosenfeld – a close friend of Ed Miliband – gives free mobile calls and text messages to Unite members. It signed a deal last year to supply phones to activists and funnel cash to the union. A document drawn up by Unite reveals that strike committees get free calls and text messages to coordinate mob action. The Mail revealed yesterday how Unite was carrying out a campaign of bullying and intimidation against senior managers during the bitter dispute over Grangemouth oil refinery.

The union’s so-called ‘leverage’ teams sent dozens of thugs to invade the driveway of a boss at the refinery in Scotland during a dispute this month – leaving his wife and children fearing for their safety. David Cameron said the Mail’s revelations were ‘shocking’ and called on Mr Miliband to reopen a Labour investigation of Unite activities. The Prime Minister said: ‘People have a right to protest. But no one has a right to intimidate, nobody has a right to bully. Nobody has a right to threaten people’s families, no one has a right to threaten people in their homes. It is very serious. ‘The Labour Party does need to investigate what has been happening with the Unite union. Action needs to be taken.’ [...]

The Mail revealed yesterday how Unite leaders deployed a dirty tricks squad to target and humiliate executives of the Ineos chemical company and their families. The leverage team sent mobs of protesters to the homes of senior figures in the firm, which owns the Grangemouth refinery. The daughter of one company boss had ‘Wanted’ posters denouncing her father posted through her front door hundreds of miles away. In a letter to Mr Miliband yesterday, Tory Chairman Grant Shapps called on the Labour leader to condemn Unite’s activities, asking: ‘Will you now refuse to accept any more money from Unite until those responsible for threatening innocent families are disciplined?’

Company set up by Labour donor aids Unite union
The People's Operator, founded by Andrew Rosenfeld, offer discounted calls to Unite members and funnel some of the profits back to the union
The Telegraph, 1 November 2013 link

One of Labour's biggest donors is behind a firm which has been helping the Unite union which has been accused of running a campaign of intimidation. The People’s Operator, a charitable mobile phone operator set up by Ed Miliband’s millionaire friend Andrew Rosenfeld, gives free mobile phone calls and text messages to Unite members. As well as offering cheap contracts, the company funnels part of the members' bills back into union funds under the terms of the deal signed last year. The union has been at the centre of a row about its tactics since Grangemouth bosses accused them of attempting to intimidate them by launching protests which included turning up outside a director’s home. Yesterday David Cameron condemned the alleged actions, saying that while people have the right to protest they do not have the right to “bully,” “intimidate” and “threaten people’s families". [...] On their website Unite say that they have “joined forces with The People's Operator (TPO)” and their members are offered cheaper mobile phones, adding that the operation “turns your calls into action” by donating 10 per cent of what is spent to Unite causes. [...]

Even Lily Cole has the sense to suck up to the powers that be.

Lily Cole on Twitter link

lily cole ‏@lilycole Jan 20
I was at a meeting at Downing Street last week about the sharing economy and seems Congress are paying attention too http://m.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and ... l8.twitter …

SB_Johnny · Unread post by **SB_Johnny** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:42 pm

I guess the nutshell here is that this is a "virtual carrier", meaning it just buys bandwidth wholesale from the actual carriers, then sells it to people who somehow think it will be better because they don't want to buy from "big telecom". Meanwhile there will be extra-friendly support provided by extra-friendly people who actually have no power to actually do anything about a problem with a tower or specific service because that's big telecom's responsibility. Jimmy will also prevent the NSA from spying on the virtual network by threatening to go ballistic, but really his virtual carrier would never actually have to be contacted by an intelligence agency, because the big telecom companies have the actual records.

Yup, sounds like another day in Jimboland.

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:09 pm

Mancunium wrote:How does a company donate a quarter of its profits if it's a non-profit?

Maybe some word-choice confusion between "non-profit" and "not profitable"?

Anyway, here is a photo of Jimbo's new business partner. He looks very down-to-earth and interested in the common man.

None of these news stories tackle what is really the make-or-break aspect of any mobile telecom -- cell coverage and customer service. I predict that both will be awful at The People's Operator.

Don't forget the fine print! If your requested "cause" that you want to receive 10% of your billable cost is deemed "invalid" -- then the money goes to the TPO Foundation, instead.

The TPO Foundation is currently headed by Sir Christopher Kelly (T-H-L), at least until his moral "watchdog" reputation begins to make him feel uneasy about working on behalf of shady characters like Rosenfeld and Wales.

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 7:09 pm

Don't get the Daily Mail started on Andrew Rosenfeld.

Ed Miliband's 'fat cat' adviser in row over bid to knock down 'ordinary' £8.5million home and rebuild it as a Jacobean mansion
Andrew Rosenfeld bought £6.2m house next door as temporary residence
Neighbours annoyed at plans to erect 7 bedroom house with garden pavilion
Say the house will be 'totally alien' and accuse Mr Rosenfeld of trying to make a 'quick buck'
Daily Mail, 3 November 2012 link

Ed Miliband likes to boast that he is on the side of struggling families – while David Cameron’s Conservatives are the ‘party of millionaires’. But the Labour leader was embarrassed last night after it emerged that one of his most senior advisers is locked in a bitter row with conservationists over his plans to demolish his ‘rather ordinary’ £8.5 million house and rebuild it as a mock- Jacobean mansion. Andrew Rosenfeld has even bought the house next door for £6.2 million so that he has somewhere to live while the work is carried out.

The property tycoon has been entrusted by Mr Miliband with ‘widening the base’ of Labour supporters and winning the battleground marginal seats that will decide the next Election. [...] Mr Rosenfeld, 50, a married father of four, returned to London last year after spending five years as a tax exile in Switzerland – during which time he added to his estimated £100 million fortune by making a £21 million profit on a Geneva mansion. The businessman then bought the two properties within a conservation area in London’s wealthy Highgate for a total of £14.7 million. [...]

More like Ernst_Stavro_Blofeld (T-H-L), amirite?

Tycoon woos Labour - and Ed's old flame
The Daily Mail, 15 December 2014 link

Two years ago, Andrew Rosenfeld was a multi-millionaire tax exile living in Switzerland. Today Rosenfeld, who is worth £100 million, is one of the most influential figures in ‘Red’ Ed Miliband’s Labour Party. Only last week Miliband, his wife Justine and senior Labour MPs were at Rosenfeld’s Christmas party at his £6.5 million Regent’s Park mansion. Talk about champagne socialists! Rosenfeld, who has pledged to give £1.5 million to Labour by the election, has been wooing some of the party’s biggest hitters. Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Lord (Stewart) Wood, Miliband’s head of strategy, were guests at the villa he rented in Tuscany in the summer. They were also at the festive bash. Property developer Rosenfeld has set up a series of regional campaign units for Labour, whose general secretary Ian Nichol is a close ally. Intriguingly, Rosenfeld left his wife this year to set up home with one of Red Ed’s first girlfriends, Juliet Soskice. She is close to Miliband and his wife, and the two couples meet regularly. ‘His money and his relationship with Juliet have bought him unrivalled access to the party hierachy,’ says one senior Labour figure. ‘But it’s unhealthy for a donor to be so close to the leadership.’

His telephone company The People’s Operator (TPO) — an ‘ethical’ mobile phone business — gives him even more clout. TPO has contracts with the GMB trade union, Unite and a new one with the Labour party (customers can opt to give 10 per cent of their call revenue to Labour or the unions). And the company gave free calls to Unite strike committee members when they were carrying out a campaign of intimidation at the homes of directors of the Grangemouth oil refinery recently. Rosenfeld is conspicuous by his consumption. He once paid £8.5 million cash for a house and sold his home in Geneva for £30 million to the family of a dictator accused of boiling his enemies to death. He is now seeking a role in Labour’s election campaign unit. ‘With his money he’ll probably get it,’ says the Labour figure.

Whatever does Jimmy see in this person? Oh, right... his sackful of cash.

Who Is Ed Miliband's Secret Santa With a Sackful of Cash?
International Business Times, 15 December 2013 link

With the 2015 election date rushing towards it, and having seriously ticked off some of its big union donors, the Labour party is desperate to find pots of cash to match the Tories' traditionally blue-chip campaign funding. But where is this secret Santa Ed Miliband is seeking? Talk of persuading armies of individual union members to pitch in with their pound coins, or even five pound notes, remain an unfulfilled fantasy. So – and this has the ring of familiarity about it – up step the big hitters. Luckily for Miliband, they don't come much bigger than his best pal and not-so Secret Santa, the property developer Andrew Rosenfeld, one of the country's richest men with an estimated wealth of £100m, who is ready to write a cheque for £1m or more to the party and encourage others to do the same.

The first time many heard of Rosenfeld was when he was caught up in the "cash for honours" affair in 2005, in which wealthy businessmen were accused of making big, secret loans to Labour in return for honours, including Peerages. The extraordinary episode even saw prime minister Tony Blair interviewed by the police in 10 Downing Street. But, in the end, no charges were brought against anyone allegedly involved. And Rosenfeld was never accused of any wrongdoing. He had previously lent £1m to Blair's Labour party, which was paid back in 2009, but he reportedly donated another £1m after the election with promises of more to come. That will make him the biggest individual Labour donor, beating Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

And that does not include extra cash from his "ethical" phone company The People's Operator which donates to charities and has a partnership with Labour. Miliband has appointed the 51-year-old Rosenfeld as his "chair of nations and regions" with the job of boosting local supporter engagement and raising funds. It is also believed he will have a significant role in the party's election war room. The businessman's prime objective will be to help the party secure key marginal seats but also come up with ways of engaging local supporters and boosting donations through Labour's Thousand Club, which requires members to pledge at least £100 per month to the party, and elsewhere. But their relationship goes beyond a purely political or business one.

Rosenfeld's current partner, Juliet Soskice, is reportedly one of Miliband's first girlfriends and is close to him and his wife Justine. They socialise regularly, most recently along with other senior Labour figures at Rosenfeld's Christmas party at his Regent's Park home, not a million miles away from Miliband's north London home in Dartmouth Park, Camden. Labour MPs and others are also said to have visited him during the summer at a villa he rented in Tuscany. Rosenfeld made his money through property development but has always been engaged with, and contributed hugely to charitable causes.Until 2005 he was chairman of the property firm Minerva which he co-founded with an issued share capital of £70,200 and which was worth an estimated £600m when he stepped down. And for five years he was based in Geneva, where he set up the property investment group Air Capital, although he denied claims he was a tax exile, insisting he chose Switzerland for "lifestyle reasons" and paid taxes there.

However, last year prime minister David Cameron reacted to Labour attacks on the Tories' big donor Lord Ashcroft's tax exile status by suggesting Ed Miliband examined Rosenfeld's own record and background. Until 2007 Rosenfeld was head of the UK National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's FULL STOP campaign, raising £250 million which is the largest sum ever raised in Britain for a single children's appeal. He has served as the UK Chairman of Fundraising and Appeals for UNICEF and until June 2006 was a trustee of the major charity Jewish Care. He was listed at number 700 on the Sunday Times Rich List 2007 but moved up to number 540 in 2009.

In 2012 Rosenfeld founded a new "ethical" mobile phone company TPO (The People's Operator) that contributes 10% of income and 25% of profits to charity and other non-profit organisations. It's mission statement is "to raise millions for good causes" and it works in partnership with charities including Childline, the NSPCC and the Big Issue. It also declares it is "proud to be working in partnership with progressive causes that champion social issues and fight to change lives for the better" and lists the Labour Party and the GMB and Unite unions as partners. The company reportedly gave free calls to Unite strike committee members when they were carrying out a campaign during the controversial Grangemouth oil refinery dispute earlier this year.

Rosenfeld's support and friendship is clearly a big plus for Miliband as he attempts to re-shape his relationship with the traditional financial backers in the union movement. And there seems little doubt he will need more large individual donors, which Rosenfeld is expected to help woo. But there are concerns in the wider Labour party over the danger of the big union funders being replaced by big, wealthy individual donors. Something Blair was accused of promoting and which led the last government into some serious troubles even in it's early days with the Bernie Ecclestone affair. That saw the Formula 1 racing boss donate £1m to the party at a time he was trying to persuade the government to ditch its pledge to ban tobacco sponsorship of the support, which he succeeded in doing. Blair had to apologise, famously stating he was a "pretty straight kind of guy" and repay the cash. Then there was the whole cash for honours crisis. There is no suggestion that Rosenfeld is anything other than a genuine supporter with no other agenda. But that has not stopped some in the party worrying about the close relationship between their leaders and big money.

Poetlister · Unread post by **Poetlister** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 8:01 pm

Someone called Jayen466 has stuck his oar in.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 8:28 pm

Lol

Explaining that it is a standard part of the TPO offering by citing the TPO website, which doesn't make a connection with the accusations, is WP:SYN. Let's find a source that actually discusses the TPO offering of free whatever in relation to the accusations at hand and then we can put it in. Otherwise we have no way to know that what Rosenfeld is denying is actually the same as what TPO is offering.— alf laylah wa laylah (talk) 18:25, 21 January 2014 (UTC)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:The_People%27s_Operator

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 8:38 pm

Mr. Marshall was a freelancer (not employee) and he was not employed to edit Wikipedia but of course it is quite common for people to edit Wikipedia inappropriately. -Jimbo Wales (talk) 14:25, 21 January 2014 (UTC)

Dale Marshall's Overview Past Copywriter/Content Executive at The People's Operator.

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 8:45 pm

As of 2012, the TPO Foundation's trustees are Sir Christopher Kelly (T-H-L) (Chair), Kevin Curley and Andrew Rosenfeld. The People’s Operator (T-H-L)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:C ... 2.4.86.206

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 1:11 am

Jimmy Wales On Joining The People's Operator And The UK Government's Porn Filter
Huffington Post UK, 21 January 2014 link

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has just branched out into the phone business, becoming co-chair of the People's Operator, a London-based ethical mobile phone network that donates 10% of its customers' bills to a charity of their choice and 25% of its own profits to good causes. As co-chair, Wales has now taken a stake in the business and will work to take it global. Besides his new phone network, Wales has been a passionate free speech advocate, working with other sites to strike down the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) act in 2012 and recently hailing NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden a "hero". The Wikipedia founder was recently brought on as a high-profile adviser by the UK government, working to advise on how to make its policy decisions more transparent. Last year, he lashed out at the government over its "ridiculous" proposal to implement a porn filter through internet service providers. HuffPostUK spoke to him about his new cellphone business, his objections to the UK porn filter and how he sees Wikipedia's role in British education.

So Jimmy, what attracted you to The People's Operator?

The money.

After Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA's phone surveillance, are you confident about the TPO's security procedures?

Sure, whatever.

Do you feel the UK government's porn filter is an insidious proposal?

Yup. The Tories are losers.

Do any of them strike you as understanding the internet?

No. They're all idiots.

How do you see Wikipedia's role in the UK syllabus for students?

Ed Miliband and I intend to replace the education system with compulsory edit-a-thons.

Say, look at the new SIM cards I'll be selling. They've got my face on them!

EricBarbour · Unread post by **EricBarbour** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:15 am

So, does this add up to another Jimbo-in-bed-with-COI-editors story?

Unread post by **Peter Damian** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 7:11 am

At 7:10

BBC: For instance, even over the Wikipedia page for The People’s Operator (T-H-L), a big banner appears, stating a close connection between authors of that page and the business dealings of people, you included, around Wikipedia, so that’s, in itself a good example of some of the conflicts and some of the issues were facing here.

Jimmy: That banner was put up by an anonymous user and I don’t think anybody has looked into it in any detail. But that’s an example of how we deal with these things by being upfront and open, transparent. People will look into it and make sure that everything is kosher.

I believe the 'anonymous user' was Greg. So does this mean that Wikipediocracy is now included within the overall feedback system of Wikipedia of ‘looking into it’ and ‘making sure everything is kosher’?

EricBarbour · Unread post by **EricBarbour** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:49 am

Peter Damian wrote:I believe the 'anonymous user' was Greg. So does this mean that Wikipediocracy is now included within the overall feedback system of Wikipedia of ‘looking into it’ and ‘making sure everything is kosher’?

It is, when he's asked about it on a live BBC radio show.

Jimmy's reality is flexible. Especially when "mainstream media" is asking.

dogbiscuit · Unread post by **dogbiscuit** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:56 am

Peter Damian wrote:
Jimmy: That banner was put up by an anonymous user and I don’t think anybody has looked into it in any detail. But that’s an example of how we deal with these things by being upfront and open, transparent. People will look into it and make sure that everything is kosher.
I believe the 'anonymous user' was Greg. So does this mean that Wikipediocracy is now included within the overall feedback system of Wikipedia of ‘looking into it’ and ‘making sure everything is kosher’?

If anonymity is the test of unreliable judgement, it would rather suggest that the fundamental rationale of Wikipedia is broken. Isn't upfront, open and transparent fundamentally undermined by the Wikipedia pseudonymity system?

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 12:38 pm

Peter Damian wrote:I believe the 'anonymous user' was Greg. So does this mean that Wikipediocracy is now included within the overall feedback system of Wikipedia of ‘looking into it’ and ‘making sure everything is kosher’?

Maybe he actually said, "making sure everything is Kohser".

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 4:15 pm

Jimmy Wales: Bringing a Social Conscience to Smartphone Market
International Business Times UK, 22 January 2014 link

Jimmy Wales is not a man short on offers. He is constantly pitched ideas about projects people want him to get involved in - but most fail for one of two reasons. "Many of them are idealistic, wonderful sounding concept but don't have a practical plans on how they want to accomplish what they want to do, or I get pitched on perfectly sensible business ideas that aren't that inspiring to me," Wales told IBTimes UK. [...]

"I see the potential here to raise an enormous amount of money for causes and at the same time the business model works and just needs to be expanded and grow globally," Wales said, speaking from Davos where he is attending the World Economic Forum.

Wales is best known as the founder of Wikipedia, the not-for-profit online reference tool. Wales has consistently resisted the urge to put ads on the site, which is the internet's fifth most visited – a move some believe would value Wikipedia at around $5 billion (£3bn, €3.7bn). Wales has a net worth of around $1 million, a fraction of what his peers in Silicon Valley are worth. Aside from the income he receives for public speaking engagements, Wales also has stock in his for-profit web hosting company Wikia. Wales has joined the board of TPO as co-chair and he has taken "a strategic stake in the business". [...]

"I bring [a] wealth of consumer internet experience and also the connections to help [TPO] get top-level strategic meetings with the top charities and mobile phone operators, to move it forward with some credibility." TPO has been open for business since November 2012 but this was just the planning and testing phase Wales says, and it is only now that the network will begin its push to gain customers. [...] As well as offering SIM-only deals fpor consumers, the TPO is currently offering three handsets on monthly contracts to business users – the iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 and Nokia Lumia 520 – but it will have to quickly improve the selection available if it wants to attract a large user base - especially among the lucrative enterprise market. [...]

One of the 'charities' already using TPO as a way of raising funds is the Labour Party, launching a partnership with the company in September 2013, with founder Rosenfeld a supporter of the party as well as a donor. While some question the close links to a particular political outlook (the TPO also has a deal with the Unite union) Wales sees this as a positive thing: "I think that that is an absolutely mainstream, very proper case, that we would want people to support politics – be it Labour, Tories or the Lim Dems." [...]

"Lim Dems"? Does he mean the Lame Dems?

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 4:26 pm

"I see the potential here to raise an enormous amount of moneyOh lord, I need me some of that money for causes and at the same time the business model works and just needs to be expanded and grow globally," Wales said, speaking from Davos where he is attending the World Economic Forum.

Wales is best known as the founder of Wikipedia, the not-for-profit online reference tool. Wales has consistently resisted the urge to put ads on the site, which is the internet's fifth most visited – a move some believe would value Wikipedia at around $5 billion (£3bn, €3.7bn). Wales has a net worth of around $1 million, a fraction of what his peers in Silicon Valley are worth.motherfuckers! Aside from the income he receives for public speaking engagements, Wales also has stock in his for-profit web hosting company WikiaBWAHAHAHA. Wales has joined the board of TPO as co-chair and he has taken "a strategic stake in the business". [...]

"I bring [a] wealth of consumer internet experience and also the connectionsBullllll shit to help [TPO] get top-level strategic meetings with the top charities and mobile phone operators, to move it forward with some credibility."How'd that work out in the silicon valley venture capital market? TPO has been open for business since November 2012 but this was just the planning and testing phase Wales says, and it is only now that the network will begin its push to gain customers. [...] As well as offering SIM-only deals fpor consumers, the TPO is currently offering three handsets on monthly contracts to business users – the iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 and Nokia Lumia 520 – but it will have to quickly improve the selection available if it wants to attract a large user base - especially among the lucrative enterprise marketWhat planet are you guys from. Enterprise customers don't buy based on charitable giving from their vendors. [...]

One of the 'charities' already using TPO as a way of raising funds is the Labour Party, launching a partnership with the company in September 2013, with founder Rosenfeld a supporter of the party as well as a donor. While some question the close links to a particular political outlook (the TPO also has a deal with the Unite union) Wales sees this as a positive thing: "I think that that is an absolutely mainstream, very proper case, that we would want people to support politics – be it Labour, Tories or the Lim Dems." [...]

Jimmy wants to be Karl Rove. Own a superPAC.
That's kind of sad.

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 4:41 pm

It's impossible to parody this man.

Wikipedia-Gründer: «Im Handy liegt unsere Zukunft»
Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, 22 January 2014 link

Google-translation from German link

Wikipedia founder: "In the mobile is our future»

Jimmy Wales has built with Wikipedia is the largest encyclopedia of world history. Now he has now entered the mobile phone business. He reveals SRF News Online how he wants to improve the world. Jimmy Wales has a new mission. Therefore, he rushes at the World Economic Forum in Davos from appointment to appointment. His goal: to collect one billion U.S. dollars donations. "Since I am still not even been to the Internet billionaire, I sit here on the community to match this money," he says to SRF News Online. This goes as follows: The founder of Wikipedia will support the head of a UK mobile provider that charity. Ten percent of the total of each user to go directly specified by the customer organizations.

"Unfortunately I am not an Internet billionaire."

The young company, "The People's operator" exists so far only in the UK. With the expansion Wales wants to offer his services. Because he has already globalized knowledge. Now he wants to conquer the non-profit mobile company, the world.

Collecting donations via mobile phone

"I get lots of offers to enter somewhere," he says. "But either the ideas are either boring or not realistic. This idea was inspiring and forward-looking at the same time for me." Jimmy Wales wants at startup its network, as well as bring his experience. "Especially in the developing countries, the mobile market is growing very strongly. There, the user no longer go through the computer, but with the phone line. " Therefore, the mobile market for the Wikipedia founder is forward-looking.

"The mobile phone is centrally located in the developing world."

Already with the project "Wikipedia Zero" He wanted to reduce the digital divide. A project that aims to bring the Wikipedia knowledge in all parts of the world. Instead, he has focused on the mobile version of Wikipedia, and for example, special deals completed with mobile operators in Africa: Users may retrieve the online encyclopedia, without paying connection fees in there. The success of the project falls short of expectations. The number of page views that occur on Wikipedia Zero, had been grossly underestimated in the past year, should be read as Wikipedia. New idea, new luck: In Davos Wales now wants the powers of the world to bring in his recent mission with "The People's operator" to invest.

Unread post by **HRIP7** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:39 pm

EricBarbour wrote:
Peter Damian wrote:I believe the 'anonymous user' was Greg. So does this mean that Wikipediocracy is now included within the overall feedback system of Wikipedia of ‘looking into it’ and ‘making sure everything is kosher’?
It is, when he's asked about it on a live BBC radio show.

Jimmy's reality is flexible. Especially when "mainstream media" is asking.

Amen.

SB_Johnny · Unread post by **SB_Johnny** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 10:49 pm

thekohser wrote:Anyway, here is a photo of Jimbo's new business partner. He looks very down-to-earth and interested in the common man.

Notice the hands. Presumably Jimbo taught him that one.

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:11 pm

It's to hide the spurs...

Poetlister · Unread post by **Poetlister** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 12:32 pm

Vigilant wrote:It's to hide the spurs...

Demons have spurs on their ankles, not their wrists.

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:47 pm

If I wanted to take over England (who hasn't dreamed of doing this?) I would start by buying a political party.

Switch to Win
The People's Operator link

The Labour Party is campaigning for victory in 2015. By switching to The People's Operator you can help us win.

Switch over to our network and we’ll direct 10% of your bill to the Labour Party at no cost to you. So while you talk, text and surf, 10p for every £1 you use goes straight to a cause you believe in. Not only that, you can be sure you'll get the widest mobile coverage as TPO uses the EE network to deliver a great service across the UK.

The TPO Foundation also doles out alms to the deserving poor; oddly, 10% of their customers' phone bills seems always to amount to exactly "£100 only". Here are its most recent benefactions: link

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:08 pm

Nice to see that they support cosplay.

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:12 pm

thekohser wrote:Nice to see that they support cosplay.

We should post to the furry community and see if they can get 5 guys to support donating to the Yiff Foundation.

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:28 pm

Vigilant wrote:
thekohser wrote:Nice to see that they support cosplay.
We should post to the furry community and see if they can get 5 guys to support donating to the Yiff Foundation.

Maybe you could get your furry friend Andy Dingley to bring your (as always) great idea to the community's attention: link

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:36 am

Wikipedia co-founder: Mobile growth can be ethical
CNBC, 24 January 2014 link

Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of online non-profit encyclopaedia Wikipedia, has said that the huge growth in the use of mobile devices can be utilized to promote ethical business. Wales recently announced that he had joined The People's Operator (TPO) phone network,where ten percent of a customer's bill goes to the charity of their choice. Furthermore, 25 percent of the company's profits will also be donated to charity. "You do exactly what you always do: just use your phone, it costs the same as anybody else, but instead of us spending part of your money on TV commercials, we give it to a cause you care about," he told CNBC. TPO was launched in November 2012 in Tech City in East London, and Wales said he wants to expand the network's customer base outside of the U.K.

He said that the company was "ready to go big." "Our rates are as low as anybody's, so how do we do that? Well, we have to have very, very low marketing spend, so it has to spread by word-of-mouth and virally online, which is something that I know a little bit about," Wales said. Spreading the word regarding TPO was why Wales was at the World Economic Forum this year in Davos. He said he was looking at making some deals and forming some charity partnerships. "I've probably spoken to a dozen Telco CEOs while I'm here," Wales said. "That's something you can only do that at Davos." [...]

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Sun Jan 26, 2014 6:59 am

Great reader's comment on that CNBC story.

thekohser · Unread post by **thekohser** » Mon Jan 27, 2014 11:38 pm

To Jimbo's and TPO's credit, they have added The Conservative Party (code: TCP) to the list of available recipient organizations that can benefit from 10% of monthly bills.

Unread post by **HRIP7** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:59 am

thekohser wrote:To Jimbo's and TPO's credit, they have added The Conservative Party (code: TCP) to the list of available recipient organizations that can benefit from 10% of monthly bills.

Impressive. I can't see it on the website, but I take your word for it.

Hersch · Unread post by **Hersch** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:58 pm

Midsize Jake wrote:
“The one thing I know is how to build large, online communities based around people coming together for a common purpose,” says Wales. “Where people can come together en-masse and do things they believe in.”

And then, 10 percent of the monthly fees can be donated to groups dedicated to destroying cultural traditions and putting people in the publishing and education industries out of work, and since everyone will want to get in on that, no advertising will be required!

Why, it's brilliant!

That's not a bad description of a typical NGO. In theory, NGOs sound very altruistic and "democratic", but in practice they provide a vehicle for a gaggle of gazillionaires to boss around elected governments (or overthrow them.)

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:53 pm

Has Jimmy raised his billion dollars yet? All he needs is 2% of world's mobile phone market, he says: link

Google Translate wrote:Jimmy Wales has a new mission. Therefore, he rushes at the World Economic Forum in Davos from appointment to appointment. His goal: to collect one billion U.S. dollars donations. "Since I am still not even been to the Internet billionaire, I sit here on the community to match this money," he says to SRF News Online. This goes as follows: The founder of Wikipedia will support the head of a UK mobile provider that charity. Ten percent of the total of each user to go directly specified by the customer organizations. [...]

Already with the project "Wikipedia Zero" He wanted to reduce the digital divide. A project that aims to bring the Wikipedia knowledge in all parts of the world. Instead, he has focused on the mobile version of Wikipedia, and for example, special deals completed with mobile operators in Africa: Users may retrieve the online encyclopedia, without paying connection fees in there. The success of the project falls short of expectations. The number of page views that occur on Wikipedia Zero, had been grossly underestimated in the past year, should be read as Wikipedia. New idea, new luck: In Davos Wales now wants the powers of the world to bring in his recent mission with "The People's operator" to invest.

So your Wikipedia Zero loan sharks in Africa let you down, did they? Damn! But there's got to be a way to force Africa to make you as rich as Leopold_II_of_Belgium (T-H-L).

A frequent complaint made of the Africans is that so many are too poor to afford mobile phones, and therefore are doomed to remain immune to Wikipedia's Civilizing_mission (T-H-L).

In the mobile trade, those living in such poverty and ignorance are known as "the Un-phoned": link

And this is a way your People's Operator SIM cards can squeeze money out of them, and turn them into Wikipedia editors:

The most important step is Step 1, nunua kadi-- 10% of your purchase goes to the Wikimedia Foundation

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:13 pm

Somewhere in the middle, kupata Star na wikipedia.

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:59 pm

Vigilant wrote:Somewhere in the middle, kupata Star na wikipedia.

The whole point of having a mobile phone is Wikipedia editing. The explanation should read: spend your weekly earnings to buy a SIM card, beg your village chief to use his mobile phone, and edit Wikipedia (kutumia mapato yako ya kila wiki kwa kununua SIM kadi, naomba kijiji yako mkuu kutumia simu yake ya mkononi, na hariri Wikipedia).

Poetlister · Unread post by **Poetlister** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:14 pm

Mancunium wrote:The whole point of having a mobile phone is Wikipedia editing. The explanation should read: spend your weekly earnings to buy a SIM card, beg your village chief to use his mobile phone, and edit Wikipedia (kutumia mapato yako ya kila wiki kwa kununua SIM kadi, naomba kijiji yako mkuu kutumia simu yake ya mkononi, na hariri Wikipedia).

Trouble is, it takes a great deal of experience to edit Wikipedia successfully on a mobile phone. How many of these people would succeed?

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:49 pm

Poetlister wrote:
Mancunium wrote:The whole point of having a mobile phone is Wikipedia editing. The explanation should read: spend your weekly earnings to buy a SIM card, beg your village chief to use his mobile phone, and edit Wikipedia (kutumia mapato yako ya kila wiki kwa kununua SIM kadi, naomba kijiji yako mkuu kutumia simu yake ya mkononi, na hariri Wikipedia).
Trouble is, it takes a great deal of experience to edit Wikipedia successfully on a mobile phone. How many of these people would succeed?

None. Obviously. What I find interesting is the way Wales conflates Wikipedia Zero and The People's Operator in interviews he gave in Munich on 22 January 2014 (link) and in Porto on 27 January 2014 (link); he says that Wikipedia Zero was an attempt to "reduce the digital divide" and was not a success, but that his new bu$in€$$ is basically an improved version of Wikipedia Zero and has the same noble goal.

Hex · Unread post by **Hex** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:16 pm

Poetlister wrote: Trouble is, it takes a great deal of experience to edit Wikipedia successfully on a mobile phone. How many of these people would succeed?

Now I'm picturing trying to use VisualEditor on a phone, in Tanzania, with poor network connectivity, while only speaking Swahili. ("Only" in the sense of that I doubt VE has been translated to it, not as being dismissive of the language.)

Vigilant · Unread post by **Vigilant** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:22 pm

Hex wrote:
Poetlister wrote: Trouble is, it takes a great deal of experience to edit Wikipedia successfully on a mobile phone. How many of these people would succeed?
Now I'm picturing trying to use VisualEditor on a phone, in Tanzania, with poor network connectivity, while only speaking Swahili. ("Only" in the sense of that I doubt VE has been translated to it, not as being dismissive of the language.)

That's just as impossible as working on a decent smart phone in Silicon Valley in English.

Try editing an article on your phone with VE.
I dare you.

It's virtually impossible to get anything done.

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 1:18 am

Wikipedia founder to float mobile phone company
The People’s Operator, backed by Jimmy Wales, to float in London
The Telegraph, 11 October 2014 link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... mpany.html[/link]

A mobile phone network backed by the founder of Wikipedia is planning to float in London. The People’s Operator intends to sell a minority stake to investors to help fund expansion into the US, which is being overseen by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. It is likely to confirm its intention to float on Aim as early as this week. The float could value TPO, which is being advised by FinnCap, at more than £100m according to City sources. [...] TPO was founded by Andrew Rosenfeld, the Labour donor, two years ago and won the backing of Mr Wales earlier this year. Mr Wales owns 10pc of the company and also serves as executive director of strategy and digital community. The service has signed up more than 10,000 members in the UK and has doubled since June. [...] Mr Rosenfeld is chairman of TPO and owns the majority of the shares, while Mark Epstein, the co-founder of campaign agency Mass1, is chief executive. The management team intend to maintain a majority shareholding in the company following the IPO. [...] In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr Wales said: “The business has mainly been testing but now it is up-and-running in the UK and we have signed a deal in America so we want to go big there. It is the right time to put the pedal to the metal. It’s a good time to raise money.”

Alternative_Investment_Market (T-H-L)

AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market) is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, allowing smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable to the main market.

Randy from Boise · Unread post by **Randy from Boise** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 1:53 am

Never forget, Jimmy Wales' occupation is "internet entrepreneur."

The honoria for speaking gigs is just gravy.

He's gonna be rich enough to hire Greg Kohs when he sells Wikia...

RfB

Mancunium · Unread post by **Mancunium** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 2:33 am

I like the way TPO's 10,000 customers are generating profits valued at more than £10,000 each, "according to City sources".