I am constantly scouring the internet for beta tests and new products that might be the next best thing. Often, I sign up for something and completely forget about it until the invite arrives. Other times, I can’t hardly wait to get the welcome invite. Such is the case with Republic Wireless which I have been patiently waiting for since November. Republic Wireless completely changes the rules for mobile phone companies and offers some extraordinary features including:
- No termination fees
- No contracts
- No overages
- No plans to choose from
- No caps and no tiers
- $19/month for both calls AND data
Yes, you read that last figure correctly. About 1/10 of what you’d pay to AT&T or other major carriers & perhaps less than half of what you’d expect from the discount carriers like MetroPCS. Most importantly, the major issue that many people have with their carrier is no longer a consideration: contracts and termination fees. This week, we’ll take a quick look at Republic Wireless, and of course, the way that they are able to offer these extraordinarily cheap rates.
So what’s the deal here? Republic Wireless is a mobile company that is offering a flat rate of $19/month for data and calls using a proprietary Android device and what they call “Hybrid Calling”. Currently, the beta is closed but they are accepting reservations for when they expand the beta or open it up to the public.
So I can’t use my iPhone? Nope. And you can’t use your own Android device either. The only device currently available is the LG Optimus which is a middle-of-the-road device currently with the Gingerbread version of Android. First Catch: You must buy this device from Republic Wireless. While they do offer a 30-day money back guarantee, the handset will set you back $199 which includes the first month of service and set-up fees. In the future, more device choices are promised.
What is the second catch then? As I mentioned, the company will use what they call Hybrid Calling. When your device is connected to WiFi, it will use WiFi automatically for both calls and data. If you don’t have a WiFi connection available, you will be using Sprint’s mobile network. When you are actively connected to a WiFi network, a Green Arc is prominently displayed in the notification area giving you piece of mind that your connection is good. This is important because you’ll need to keep the ratio of calls and data that you use over WiFi verse Mobile network at an acceptable level. They explain what is acceptable when defining their “Cellular Usage Index”:
In order to measure the republic wireless community equally, we must take into account that some people send more texts, some use more data and some use more minutes. Additionally, when we buy cellular capacity from the big cell companies, voice minutes are more expensive than data that is in turn more expensive than SMS, so we use a ratio to normalize the usage called your Cellular Usage Index (CUI).
We look at your usage every day and recalculate your CUI by taking the moving average of your last 7 days usage. That way, if you have a day where you are traveling a lot and not on Wi-Fi, it has an impact on your score (your CUI will go up) but you can bring the CUI back down with more Wi-Fi usage. It’s a little like your batting average, except you want the number to be as lower than the Mendoza line.
It does seem a little vague but despite not using ANY WiFi, it has been suggested that every user will get a minimum of 550 voice minutes, 300MB of data, and 150 texts. The more WiFi calls and data you use, the more minutes, texts and data you will be allocated. If your CUI becomes consistently too high, you will be given notices and warnings and ultimately, have your “membership” revoked. (Yes, you are a “member” and not a “customer”).
How is the call quality? When I first heard of Republic Wireless, I instantly signed up and emailed a handful of people that I figured would be interested as well. Oddly, one of the people that I had suggested to sign up was accepted shortly later and I am still waiting. Fortunately, I was able to take his phone last week for a day of testing and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed. Traveling from home to office to Starbucks and on the road in between, calling was seamless and I never dropped a single call: even when moving from a WiFi area to a non-WiFi area. Unlike some other WiFi calling solutions like TruPhone, there was not any echoing or lag. The quality was the same as I have come to expect using T-Mobile’s WiFi calling which is offered on many of their devices now.
Who is this best for? Obviously this will not be for everyone and I personally will not be switching over for my account (but I can’t wait to be able to give this to my kids!) You will of course need to have WiFi where you’ll be often whether it be school, work or home. Additionally, being a run-of-the-mill handset, you can’t be someone needing to have the latest and greatest devices with the most cutting edge features. If you are wanting to save a lot of money and don’t use a large amount of minutes and data while traveling, this could be a huge savings for you. Think of the two year ownership costs:
Traditional carrier (Assuming free handset with two year committment): 24 months x $130 (Unlimited calling, texts, data) = $3,120.
Republic Wireless: $199 (start-up & first month) + 23 x $19 = $636
A whopping $2,484 savings! I imagine this will resonate loudly with college students, seniors on a fixed budget and people that would like a smart-phone to use periodically without the exorbitant costs associated with it.
Bottom Line Republic Wireless may be for you if you are around WiFi often, want to save tons of money, and can live with an Android device that is limited (at the moment) to the LG Optimus. I imagine the waiting lists are becoming longer and longer as the word gets out on this game changer, so if you have any interest, better pop on over Republic and get your name on the list.
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Hidden Track Technology Tuesday
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