As part of his newest venture, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales announced the U.S. launch of The People’s Operator, a new mobile network from which 20 percent of company profits and 10 percent of customers’ monthly bills are donated to charities—at no cost to customers.

Since TPO launched in the United Kingdom in 2012, customers have directed funds to hundreds of causes including The Trussell Trust, Emerge Poverty Free and the British Heart Foundation. In the U.S., TPO has partnered with a range of causes including Feeding America , Save the Children, WaterAid America, the Wounded Warrior Project and the World Wildlife Foundation. In addition to these causes, customers can donate to any certified charity.

TPO CEO and co-founder Mark Epstein expects the new mobile service will raise “billions” of dollars for charitable causes in the U.S. And under the direction of Wales, who became chairman full-time in December, the company has also developed the TPO Community, an online social network, to expand the global reach of mobile phone customers who share the belief of supporting causes.

TPO funds charities with money that would otherwise be used for advertising by a conventional mobile network provider. TPO relies on its accompanying social community for promotion. “Let’s redirect [our money] to great causes and give our customers away to tell that story,” Wales explains of the business model. “To me, that’s a big business opportunity.”

Epstein says that whereas many social networks are “invasive about our information because they want to sell it to advertisers,” with TPO “the purpose is to tell your friends about what we’re doing. And invite your friends to raise money for something. There’s certainly nothing out there that’s like that.”