The next time someone criticizes you for being attached to your cell phone, just say your screen time could be saving lives.
Jimmy Wales, founder and chairman of Wikipedia, recently launched The People’s Operator in the U.S., a mobile carrier that donates 10 percent of each customer’s bill to charity. And, it doesn’t come with any gimmicks or hidden fees.
Instead the company is scaling back on ad spending and asking its users to encourage one another to join so that it has leftover funds to give away, Wales told Mashable.
The business model follows its U.K. counterpart, which was launched in 2012, according to the company’s website.
The company offers pay-as-you-go and monthly payment plans and gives customers the freedom to choose which cause to support.
TPO has partnered with a number of charities, including Save the Children, and invites users to pitch charities that the company hasn’t yet collaborated with.
TPO said it plans on donating a quarter of its profits through the TPO Foundation and doesn’t charge charities for using its service.
To help expand its reach, and encourage its users to inspire one another to give, the group announced on Tuesday that it’s launching an ad-free social network, TPO Community.
The community is supported by the mobile network, is open to anyone and is free to all users.
“TPO was founded on the idea that an everyday action could be turned in a way to raise money for causes, without having to cost extra or sacrifice on service,” Mark Epstein, CEO and co-founder, said in a statement. “We’re delighted to be bringing our mission to raise billions for causes to both U.K. and U.S. customers with a range of competitive plans matched with top of the line customer service.”