NBA champion Tristan Thompson and World Mobile launch community-owned network Uplift

NBA Champion Tristan Thompson announced TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 that he is partnering with global telecom company World Mobile to launch a community-owned mobile network called Uplift. The network offers unlimited data plans starting at $9.99 per month.

Uplift is built on blockchain technology and a Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN).

With Uplift, each subscription will contribute to neighborhood-level network expansion, while local hosts known as “AirNode Operators” will earn a share of network revenue by providing community coverage. The idea behind Uplift is to challenge the centralized model of the $2 trillion telecom industry by allowing users and local operators to share in the value they create.

“For me, it’s about, how can I help the people that I’ve walked through this life, and I think for us, what we’re doing is providing connectivity and connectivity for low-cost unlimited data,” Thompson said on stage. “It’s like, how can I help my community make tomorrow better? And that’s what this is about. And I’m so blessed and lucky to have a team that understands that vision. And we want to help the people of America, help the inner city and give people hope.”

While Thompson is known for his basketball career and winning NBA championships with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he is also an outspoken advocate for innovation and inclusion. Thompson currently holds four C-suite roles across the Web3 and fintech landscape. He is the Chief Digital Equity Officer and Chief Advisory Officer at World Mobile AxonDAOAn AI-powered medical research platform inspired by his brother’s epilepsy journey.

He is the co-founder of Basketball Fun, a Web3 platform that tokenizes NBA players, and the Chief Content Officer at Tracy AI, an AI platform for real-time sports analytics.

With this latest effort, Thompson and World Mobile are looking to drive affordable community-owned Internet access.

World Mobile says it’s a tested and scalable model, as it piloted it in Reno, Nevada, where community hosts made more than $10,000 annually providing coverage to underserved areas. Uplift already operates on proven infrastructure through World Mobile’s US deployment, World Mobile said.

“We’ve brought about 20% of Reno back into connectivity,” Thompson said. “When the hurricane hit North Carolina and Asheville, Starlink went over there and tried to get the connection back, and they weren’t able to, so they contacted the World Mobile team, and we were able to get out there and send some of us out in the helicopters, and we actually got the connection back in Asheville, Carolina during the hurricane.”

The new service will launch soon in Cleveland, Ohio, and will roll out to additional cities in 2026.

World Mobile notes that more than 50 million Americans live at or near the poverty line, with many lacking access to affordable high-speed data. Uplift’s mission is to expand access and ensure that the wealth generated by mobile use stays in the neighborhoods that create it.