So, what has Andrew Yang been up to since his unsuccessful runs for U.S. president and mayor of New York City? Like our current president, he is now in the mobile phone business. Yang launched a budget phone carrier in 2025, Noble Mobile, and is now expanding with the acquisition of Helium Mobile. The two companies announced the deal on Tuesday, but did not disclose the terms of the transaction. Noble is known for its budget-friendly $50-a-month plan that comes with unlimited data and 5G coverage through T-Mobile’s network. But what makes it stand out is that customers can earn up to $20 a month if they use less than 20 gigabytes of data. The company’s central idea is that on traditional networks, people are overpaying for data plans they don’t fully use. Noble calls this a “data tax.” At Noble, the company says it is doing the opposite by paying customers to use their phones less.
Now, Noble is teaming up with another unusual carrier, Helium Mobile. Helium offers mobile plans ranging from $15 to $30 a month, with both 5G coverage and access to the company’s crypto-powered network of hotspots. The Helium Mobile Network rewards hotspot owners with tokens in exchange for providing coverage to the network. The deal will separate Helium Mobile from Nova Labs, the parent company whose short life has already been marked by controversy.
