From 0mninet to Moontel: the story behind our mission

Before Moontel, there was 0mninet.

With a zero, not an O.

Looking back, that zero almost feels like a preview of what the project would eventually become: an attempt to rethink a model where getting connected usually starts with paying for data.

But in the beginning, 0mninet was little more than a name, an early identity and a problem we could not stop thinking about.

That problem eventually became Moontel.

It started with a simple question

In February 2025, Tommaso and Sam started working on an idea.

They kept coming back to one question:

Why, in a world where we can message someone on the other side of the planet in seconds, is getting connected abroad still so complicated?

Travelling to another country could still mean choosing another data plan, comparing another set of packages, checking another expiration date and paying again.

eSIM technology had already improved the experience enormously.

There was no longer a physical SIM card to find, remove and replace.

But something still felt unfinished.

Many travel eSIM experiences had simply digitized the same basic cycle:

Choose a destination.

Choose a package.

Pay for data.

Use it before it expires.

Then start again on the next trip.

We believed the technology could do more.

The first 0mninet idea

The first idea was surprisingly simple:

Install one eSIM and keep it.

One eSIM on your phone.

One account.

A connection designed to stay ready as you move from one destination to another.

Instead of thinking about an eSIM as something you buy for a specific trip, we started thinking about it as infrastructure that could simply remain on your phone.

That became one of the foundations of 0mninet.

But then another question started changing the project.

What if mobile data did not always have to be purchased?

Digital participation already creates economic value across the internet.

People answer surveys, provide opinions, test experiences and complete other online activities.

What if part of that value could be turned into connectivity?

What if someone could complete a simple activity and receive mobile data in return?

What if connectivity could be earned as well as purchased?

That question made the project much bigger than the original idea.

0mninet was no longer only about making travel eSIMs more convenient.

It was becoming an experiment in a different way of accessing mobile data.

Building something real was much harder

The concept sounded simple.

Building it was not.

Behind the experience of tapping a button and getting connected sits a much more complicated system.

eSIM provisioning.

Different devices.

Different mobile networks.

Different countries.

Activation flows.

User accounts.

Data balances.

Provider APIs.

Callbacks.

Confirmation systems.

And all the edge cases that only become visible once somebody actually tries to use the product.

Then there was the other half of the model.

If surveys were going to unlock mobile data, a successful survey completion had to move reliably through the system and ultimately become connectivity on a user's eSIM.

So we started building.

We connected the first systems.

We tested eSIM activations.

We integrated survey providers.

We built the infrastructure behind accounts and data.

We rebuilt parts that did not work as expected.

And we changed ideas that had looked perfect on paper but felt unnecessarily complicated once we started turning them into a real product.

This was the point where the original idea began meeting reality.

And reality had plenty of feedback.

From 0mninet to Moontel

As the project evolved, the original identity began to feel too narrow for what we were building.

The vision was no longer simply about reducing the cost of connectivity.

It was becoming a combination of three ideas:

One eSIM that stays with you.

Mobile data that can be unlocked through participation.

A simpler way to stay connected across countries without starting from zero every time.

0mninet had started the journey.

But the project had become something else.

So 0mninet became Moontel.

The name changed.

The underlying question did not:

Can mobile internet become simpler, more global and sometimes free?

Moontel became our attempt to answer it.

A difficult turning point

Then came May 2026.

After more than a year building 0mninet and Moontel together, Sam decided to step away from the project.

For a small startup built by two people, that kind of change can redefine everything.

There was no large team behind Moontel.

No department ready to absorb the work.

No machine that would continue running on its own.

Tommaso had to decide whether the project should stop there or whether the reason for starting it still mattered enough to continue.

He chose to continue.

The mission remained.

But the next version of Moontel would have to be built differently.

One month later, in June 2026, Cristian joined the project.

A new chapter began.

New energy.

Different perspectives.

And a clearer understanding of what Moontel needed to become.

Then came the first real users

Until that point, many of our assumptions had been tested by us.

That changes completely when someone who did not build the product opens it for the first time.

The first users created accounts.

They completed surveys.

They waited for completions to be confirmed.

They unlocked eSIMs.

They tried to get connected.

And they immediately showed us things we could never have learned from a prototype alone.

Some parts worked.

Some did not.

Some users could not find suitable surveys.

Some activation flows were not as clear as they needed to be.

Some things that seemed obvious to us were not obvious at all to someone seeing Moontel for the first time.

That feedback became more valuable than our assumptions.

Because Moontel was no longer just something discussed between founders.

Real people were using it.

What real users taught us

Early testing reinforced one lesson more than anything else:

the best connectivity technology is the technology people do not have to think about.

Users did not want to understand provisioning infrastructure, provider integrations or telecom logic.

They wanted simple answers.

What do I need to do?

How do I unlock my eSIM?

How do I get mobile data?

Can I keep the same eSIM?

Will it work when I travel again?

Those questions helped shape what Moontel is becoming.

The systems behind the experience may be complicated.

The experience itself should not be.

Today the process starts with an account and a survey that matches the user's profile.

Once an eligible completion is confirmed, the user's permanent Moontel eSIM and mobile data can be unlocked.

Install the eSIM once.

Keep it on the phone.

Return to Moontel when you need connectivity again.

That is the experience we are working toward making increasingly simple.

What Moontel is today

Today, Moontel is live through the web app.

The same permanent eSIM is designed to work across 218 supported countries and destinations, with coverage, speed and exact data allowance depending on the destination and local network.

Moontel can be used while travelling, as a second mobile data line or as backup connectivity when Wi-Fi or a primary connection is not enough.

The free experience begins with surveys.

Complete a survey that matches your profile.

Once the completion is confirmed, mobile data can be unlocked on your Moontel eSIM.

And because the eSIM stays with you, there is no need to install a completely new eSIM every time you travel.

You can read the full current process on How Moontel Works.

Where we want to go next

Surveys are the beginning of the model, not necessarily the end of it.

Our longer-term vision is to create more ways for people to turn useful digital participation into connectivity.

Different activities.

Different partners.

Different ways of generating value.

One connectivity layer.

At the same time, we are developing optional paid Levels for people who want more data or more control while keeping the same permanent eSIM.

Those paid options are still part of the roadmap and are not currently available as standard purchases.

You can follow their development on Moontel Levels.

But the starting point remains free.

Because the bigger question behind Moontel has never simply been:

How can we sell mobile data differently?

The more interesting question is:

Can we change the way people access it?

We are building from real experience

Moontel is no longer an idea that exists only in a presentation.

We have built the product.

We have issued eSIMs.

We have seen users complete surveys and unlock mobile data.

We have also found bugs.

Changed assumptions.

Rebuilt flows.

And discovered parts of the experience that were simply not good enough yet.

We do not see those moments as separate from building Moontel.

They are how Moontel is being built.

Every successful activation proves part of the system.

Every failed activation shows us where it needs to improve.

Every user question exposes something that could be clearer.

And every iteration moves the product slightly closer to the original idea that started in a small project called 0mninet.

This is still the beginning

From 0mninet in February 2025 to Moontel today, almost everything visible has changed.

The name changed.

The team changed.

The product became real.

The idea became clearer.

But the belief behind the original zero remains:

Getting online should not always mean paying for another package, installing another eSIM and starting again.

We believe mobile data can be easier to access.

We believe one eSIM can stay with you.

We believe participation can become a real way to unlock connectivity.

And we believe there is still a much simpler version of global mobile internet waiting to be built.

We are still a small team.

We are still learning.

We are still building.

We started with 0mninet.

Today, we are building Moontel.

And we are still at the beginning.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

See what we're building

Moontel is live.

Create your account, complete a survey that matches your profile and unlock your permanent eSIM and mobile data once your completion is confirmed.

Start now — it’s free

Or discover the bigger idea behind the project on the Moontel Mission.