NBA champion Tristan Thompson is taking on Big Telecom. The Cleveland Cavaliers star just announced at TechCrunch Disrupt that he's partnering with World Mobile to launch Uplift, a community-owned mobile network offering unlimited data for $9.99 monthly. Built on blockchain and DePIN technology, the service lets local "AirNode operators" earn revenue by providing neighborhood coverage - directly challenging the industry's centralized model.
The telecom industry just got a celebrity disruptor. Tristan Thompson, fresh off his NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, stepped onto the TechCrunch Disrupt stage to announce something completely different: a $9.99 unlimited data plan that could upend how Americans get mobile service.
Thompson's partnering with global telecom company World Mobile to launch Uplift, a community-owned mobile network built on blockchain technology and a Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN). But this isn't just another celebrity endorsement deal - it's a direct challenge to the $2 trillion telecom industry's stranglehold on connectivity.
"For me, it's about, how can I help people that have walked the same life that I walked," Thompson told the Disrupt audience. "We're providing connectivity and connection for unlimited data at a way lower cost. It's like, how can I help my community have a better tomorrow? We want to help people in America, help the inner city, and just give people hope."
The model turns traditional telecom economics upside down. With Uplift, every subscription contributes to neighborhood-level network expansion, while local hosts called "AirNode operators" earn a portion of network revenue by providing community coverage. Instead of profits flowing to distant corporate headquarters, the wealth generated by mobile usage stays in the neighborhoods that create it.
This isn't theoretical - World Mobile has already proven the concept works. In Reno, Nevada, community hosts have earned more than $10,000 annually by providing coverage to underserved areas. Thompson claims they've brought connectivity to about 20% of Reno through this distributed model.
The real-world test came during recent natural disasters. When Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville, North Carolina, even Starlink couldn't restore connectivity. "They reached out to the World Mobile team, and we were able to get out there and send a couple of our guys on helicopters to fly in," Thompson revealed. "We were actually the ones that brought connectivity back to Asheville, North Carolina during that hurricane."
