NBA champ Tristan Thompson revealed at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 a collaboration with global telecom giant World Mobile to introduce Uplift, a community-run mobile network. The network features unlimited data plans with prices starting at $9.99 each month.
Uplift runs on both blockchain tech and a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN).
With Uplift, each subscription helps grow the network at the local level, and local hosts, known as “AirNode operators,” get a share of the network’s income by offering community coverage. Uplift’s core concept is to challenge the current $2 trillion telecom industry’s centralized system by enabling users and local operators to share in the economic value they help produce.
“For me, the question is, how can I support people who have lived similar lives to my own? I believe we are offering connection and connectivity for unlimited data at a considerably reduced cost,” Thompson shared on stage. “It’s about helping my community achieve a better future. I’m fortunate to have a team that shares this vision, and we aim to assist people in America, especially in inner cities, by offering hope.”
While Thompson is recognized for his basketball success, which includes an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he’s also a vocal supporter of innovation and inclusion. Thompson is currently in four C-suite positions within the web3 and fintech sectors. He serves as the chief digital equity officer at World Mobile and the chief advisory officer at AxonDAO, an AI-driven medical research platform inspired by his brother’s experiences with epilepsy.
Additionally, he’s a co-founder of Basketball Fun, a web3 platform that tokenizes NBA athletes, and he holds the role of chief content officer at Tracy AI, an AI platform delivering real-time sports analytics.
With this latest venture, Thompson and World Mobile aim to promote accessible community-owned internet.
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World Mobile states that their model has been tested and can be scaled; a pilot in Reno, Nevada, showed community hosts earning over $10,000 each year by offering coverage in underserved areas. Uplift utilizes infrastructure already validated by World Mobile’s U.S. deployments, according to World Mobile.
“We reconnected about 20% of Reno,” Thompson noted. “When the hurricane impacted North Carolina and Asheville, Starlink attempted to restore connectivity but was unsuccessful. They then contacted the World Mobile team, and we dispatched some of our team members via helicopters. We were able to restore connectivity to Asheville, North Carolina, during that hurricane.”
The new service will soon launch in Cleveland, Ohio, with further expansion into other cities planned for 2026.
World Mobile points out that over 50 million Americans are at or near the poverty level, many of whom struggle to afford high-speed data. Uplift seeks to broaden access while ensuring that the wealth produced by mobile usage remains within the communities that generate it.
