Republic Wireless $19 voice and text message service

[haven]

Would you set aside your smartphone for a new service that delivers voice calls and text messaging for $19 a month? That's the deal that Republic Wireless is expected to unveil on Nov. 8.

Here's how the service works: When you're within range of Republic's WiFi service or your home WiFi network, your calls and texts are sent over WiFi. When you're out of reach of WiFi, the phone uses a phone carrier that Republic buys minutes from.

This isn't a new idea. All the major phone carriers offer some sort of WiFi support in areas where their 3G networks are overloaded with data (airports and conference centers are good examples). Not all the major carriers have embraced VOIP, however, and none are offering a service that's as cheap as the Republic Wireless plan.

You will need a special Android phone sold by Republic to use this service. I'm guessing that the phone needs
-- to run Republic's VOIP app
-- to have a cellular radio that can work with both GSM (AT&T, T-Mobile) and CDMA (Verizon, Sprint) (not at the same time, of course)
-- a way to tell its approximate location
-- a way to authenticate itself to either GSM or CDMA network type on the fly.

A phone like this will enable Republic Wireless to make bulk purchases from any carrier, taking advantage of a carrier's excess capacity from one metro region to another. The rumor is that the first carrier to sell minutes to Republic Wireless is Sprint (no surprise, given that Sprint is losing money these days).

Lots of questions remain. For example, what are the limits to talk time or text messages in the $19 a month plan? Will there be a more expensive unlimited plan? How much will the special phone cost? Will the Republic phone be able to run Android apps? Will the service require a yearly commitment? And so on. Tune in Nov.8.

Here are a couple of articles with more information about the Republic Wireless plan
http://gigaom.com/2011/10/31/republic-wireless-to-launch-19-voice-sms-service/
http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/31/re...arrier-that-will-cut-your-phone-bill-in-half/

There's a page on the Republic Wireless web site to sign up for a special offer that will be available on Nov. 8. Might be worth it to register your email address.
http://republicwireless.com/preview/

I'm willing to try to a service like Republic is about to offer. I'm sick of the high cost of basic phone service, and my two year cell phone contract is up. How about you?

 

[1leglance]

I use my phone to access the web more than I do to make calls...texting is #2 and emailing #3....really voice is the last on the list

I like the pocket size web device that my phone really is.
But I hate the cost, it really adds up when you look at it over the course of the year.
Honestly I wonder if I could not just go with the Republic service and learn to be less "plugged in"

 

[haven]

Update: the $19 plan will offer "unlimited" voice and text messaging. Sounds like a dream come true for the parents of teenagers.

 

[DanaB]

How long will it last?

At the outset, this sounds interesting and very competitive. Hopefully, the offering is up to the hyperbole. And, also hopefully, this is not a low-priced "suck in" to get you hooked on their program only to then start jacking up prices and sneaking in some hidden charges.

Depending on the cost of the phone, which could be substantial given that it's a smart phone, it will not be a deal breaker. A reasonably priced phone would make it possible to sample this program on a parallel basis without dropping your existing carrier.

Once it's proven itself to be viable and lasting, one can then consider dropping their current carrier if the timing were right. If your current carrier has one of those onerous $350 early termination fees and you're not at the end of your contract, it's really going to be hard to consider making the switch.

 

[haven]

All good points. Given that the initial carrier is Sprint, I would want to check the quality of service in the areas I frequent before giving up on my current cell phone provider. Heaven knows AT&T has its share of dead zones around here (SF Bay area)!

 

[haven]

OK, Republic Wireless has announced its $19 a month plan. The plan offers unlimited voice, text, AND DATA! Republic reserves the right to cancel service to people who use much more than the community averages for 3G cell service. The actual amount that is considered too much will be determined as Republic builds its experience handling 3G service for customers.

Note that this limit applies to 3G, not WiFi. Voice, text and data that travel over WiFi are unlimited.

You have to buy a phone from Republic to make the system work. The phone Republic is offering today is an LG Optimus S, a middle of the line Android model that was introduced about a year ago. The Optimus S is a phone made for Sprint. It has no ability to access the 3G service of other carriers. Sprint rolled out an upgrade to Android 2.3 for the Optimus S earlier this Fall.

More information about the phone here
http://mobile.engadget.com/2010/11/05/lg-optimus-t-and-optimus-s-review/
http://androidspin.com/2010/12/12/sprint-optimus-s-review/

It appears that the Optimus S will run standard Android software. The phone has access to the Google Android market, a d can run the standard Google apps like GMail. The phone has a GPS chip, so it can provide accurate navigation. The phone can run Google Maps for turn by turn navigation.

It looks like Republic is making no special effort to provide WiFi access in public places. They refer you to Android apps that can help find public WiFi.

Republic is charging $99 for the LG Optimus S, if you sign up using the discount code "welcome19". That's a decent deal. Sprint charges $20 a month for the Optimus S if you sign up for a two year contract. Republic requires no commitments.

Republic Wireless is offering a 30 day money back guarantee. Get more information at http://www.republicwireless.com

 

[Ryanmb21]

Anybody tried this?

 

[haven]

I was curious about this, and checked the company's facebook page. It appears that the first phones were shipped last week, and early subscribers are receiving the phones yesterday and today. So no reports of actual use of the service yet.

The facebook page is filled with complaints about the order process. And one post says the "beta" program that offered the $99 price for the phone is closed.

 

[haven]

Republic Wireless has stepped back from its confusing statement that customers will have unlimited data downloads, as long as the data use stays within some as-yet undefined norms. Now the company says $19 buys truly unlimited data use.

http://gigaom.com/mobile/republic-wireless-goes-unlimited-this-time-for-real/

That's the good news. The bad news is that the unlimited plan is for participants in the company's beta test group, and that group is not accepting new members for the moment.