TPO said that their service gave private customers the opportunity to support good causes, charities, nonprofits, "progressive organisations"[2] or "ethical groups"[3] of their choice and receive updates on how their money was being spent, while businesses could fulfill their corporate social responsibility commitments.

[5] Trading of The People's Operator stock on the London exchange was suspended in July 2018, after the company failed to provide its 2017 financial reports.

On 20 January 2014, TPO announced that Jimmy Wales had joined the organisation on a £250,000 annual salary[13] as co-chair of the board, and had "taken a strategic stake in the business."

Wales was quoted as saying that "TPO has huge potential for viral growth and the more it grows, the more money will pass to the people and communities that need it.

[23] In January 2017, the company announced that Jimmy Wales would be replaced as board Chairman by Michael Butler, who has industry experience primarily with Inmarsat.

TPO offered prospective US customers a $32-per-month option with unlimited talk time and text messages and 2 gigabytes of data.

[35] The People's Operator announced that it would be moving to the Three UK network in the first quarter of 2016, which would give its customers LTE 4G services.

[37] TPO Foundation was a registered charity,[38] and as of 2012 the trustees were Sir Christopher Kelly (chair), Kevin Curley, and (the now deceased) Andrew Rosenfeld.

[12] In addition, customers could optionally designate 10% of the amount they spend on calls, texts and data[9] (pre-VAT)[10] to a specific charity or community group.

[15] TPO established partnerships with NSPCC, The Trussell Trust, Dimbleby Cancer Care and Childline prior to its launch,[10][11] and by April 2013 it had partnered with the Children’s Heart Foundation, RE:generate and Caxton House, and was planning a partnership with The Big Issue Foundation.

[42] As of January 2014 TPO had also partnered with Islington Giving, and Wales hopes that the foundation will also support Wikipedia in the future.

[45][46] In November 2013 The Daily Telegraph reported that Unite's deal with TPO included free phone calls and texts for members of its strike committee and that this capability was being used as a part of a "campaign of intimidation" against bosses at the Grangemouth Refinery.

[47] In November 2013, Rosenfeld, a Labour Party donor, denied to The Times that The People's Operator "had aided Unite in dirty tricks campaigns during industrial disputes.