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New Washington D.C.-based mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Cape has raised $61 million in three financing rounds.
Cape operates as an full MVNO on the UScellular network. Unlike other MVNOs, however, Cape’s unique selling point is not its pricing structure or attractive bundled services, but privacy and security.
Cape says it will not store customers’ personal information, such as name, numbers, and location date, thereby ensuring that those details remain beyond the reach of hackers.
At its core, the company believes that “privacy and security are inherently valuable”, and that “control over your personal information is critical to autonomy and freedom”.
“Cape doesn’t ask for personal information, like your name or social security number, to give you great cell service,” reads the website. “We don’t even store your payment information, including your credit card number or address, and your bills are stored locally on your device.”
Founder and CEO John Doyle came from software company Palantir, where he learned of the many vulnerabilities in the cellular network. Cape aims to break the “chain of trust” that results in consumer data being shared with advertisers or being exposed to hackers and data breaches.
In more extreme circumstances, bad actors gaining access to this can be lifechanging for customers.
“Millions of mobile network subscribers see their personal data breached and their identities stolen, or individual identities stolen via SIM jacking. Ukrainian troop locations are exposed by Russian network-based attacks. Ad-id data reveals details of your personal life. The list goes on,” reads a Cape blog post,
The company also provides AI based spam protection, which claims to reduce unwanted calls and texts by up to 90%.
Although not officially launching until June, Cape is currently operating in early-access mode, and has already secured a pilot project with the US government, securing communications on US island territory Guam.
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