Peter Jones founded Phones International Group before becoming a Dragon on BBC's Dragons' Den.
Phones International Group was established by Jones in 1998 as a telecommunications business. It operated in the mobile-phone market, a rapidly developing sector at the time when mobile ownership and retail distribution were expanding quickly in Britain. The company later became associated with the wider Phones 4u business story.
Jones joined Dragons' Den in the programme's original 2005 panel and remained one of its most recognisable investors. His portfolio and public image have often been linked with technology, telecommunications, retail and consumer brands. This makes Phones International Group distinct from his later investments shown on television.
A common mix-up is to attribute every mobile-phone business connected with Jones to Phones 4u itself. Phones International Group was the earlier company founded by Jones; the names describe related parts of his business history, not identical original ventures.