The mobile carrier arena just got a little more crowded. Broadband.com officially launched the mobile service called Republic Wireless. There are two key differences between Republic and all other U.S. carriers, how it makes calls and the price. The service will cost only $19 a month for unlimited talk, text, and data, and it is able to do this because it will function mostly over Wi-Fi networks.
Republic is saying that Wi-Fi is able to do anything traditional cell phone companies can do, but cheaper. When connected to a Wi-Fi network your phone will function just like any other phone, and you can talk or text as much as you would like. If you happen to be out of range of a friendly Wi-Fi network your phone will be able to connect to Sprint’s network and you will still be able to use your phone. While there is not a limit to how much you can use your phone while on Wi-Fi you will be limited to around 550 minutes, 150 texts, and 300 megabytes over Sprint’s network.
Republic will function without a contract, so you can stop your service at any time. For right now you can start your service with Republic for $199, which includes an LG Optimus phone, and your first month of service. If you activate an account prior to November 27, you can lower the activation cost to just $99 with the promo code “welcome19”. As of right now the Optimus is the only phone available on the carrier, but they are working on delivering other options soon. Even though the cell service is through Sprint normal Sprint phones will not work with Republic, since they modify the hardware to work on the Wi-Fi network.
This is by far the cheapest unlimited everything option, and if you are able to connect to Wi-Fi networks consistently this might be a perfect option for you. The potential of this service is very exciting, and hopefully the company will be around long enough to deliver on some of that potential.
