Republic Wireless $19 unlimited voice, SMS and data service

Now you also get a $50 Google Play Store Credit

Buy now to receive a $50 credit for apps, movies, music, etc. Google will send your credit by email.
Offer Expires 3/18/2013

Phone:
Defy @ $250 then 19/month
Defy @ $99 then 29/month

Reasons to NOT go Republic Wireless

1. Cost of phone. At $250 plus $19/month (plus tax) for only Sprint Native coverage and questionable "Acceptable Use Policy", is it really worth it? Instead, buy a better phone at TMo for $150 and pay $30/month (tax included plus potential discounts through calling mart and other resellers) for 5GB 4G service with better coverage, unlimited texting, and unlimited talking using Talkatone, Vonage or GrooveIP, plus 100 minutes of talking through Tmo.
2. Support is terrible and censorship on their forums.


Timeline
http://republicwireless.com/beta-milestones

An article posting indicates further news on this company (which is in its infancy):
http://wraltechwire.com/business/tech_wire/venture/story/10374566/
Republic Wireless is a division of Broadband.com, a 100 million dollar company, that's been around a while. (See the above linked article)

........ Next week, we will communicate estimated ship dates......
Amidst all of this, we are eager to provide you with the product you ordered. Next week, we will communicate estimated ship dates. We anticipate that the first ship date will be Friday, November 18 to a small initial group, which is normal for a beta technology release. Every week after that, we’ll ship more. As we promised, within 60 days of Nov 8 (which is the first week of January), everyone should receive their order. We will contact you by email the week before we ship, just to confirm and make sure we have everything right.
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SUMMARY
$ 19 + tax you get -->
550 minutes, send 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes
+ Unlimited everything when you bring your own WiFi...
......

The information above is incorrect and was taken from an EXAMPLE of what usage might get what score. It was not a description of the plan.

You are expected to make 60% or more of your calls using WiFi. The higher the percentage, the better. There's no fixed amount.

If your calls+data+text volume is very high, they will ask you to up your % done using WiFi, because the cellular service they are reselling costs them money.

If you have such a high volume of calls+text+data on the cellular network that they're losing money on you, they'll ask you to find service elsewhere.

Normal use shouldn't run into any real limits, as long as most of it is on WiFi. Very heavy (multi-thousand-minute/text/megabyte) cellular use customers they would rather send back to the cell phone companies. Their pricing is based on being able to cherry pick the best customers.

****READ THIS NOW IF YOU ORDERED LAST NIGHT!****

People people, please stop emailing them about no email confirmation. Let them focus on getting our phones out.

From their Twitter, responding to someone about no email conf.

"if you have an order # then you are good. we are getting hammered with e-mails and are working through them as fast as we can"[/B][/SIZE]

Update: 11/11/2011

MANY people were overcharged when signing up. They have been identifying people that were overcharged, fixing the error, and informing them by email that this has been done. Screenshot attached.

You can find their forums here: http://www.republicwireless.com/forum

Wow. We're full (for now).
Well, that was fast! Thanks for your interest and enthusiasm. Please sign up below, and we'll let you know when we are accepting new members again.





you should receive your order confirmation an hour after you order, fyi

Per Terms of Service attached below the wiki

Quote : If You need support after the Activation Date, You may send us an email at service@republicwireless.com. Unlike other communications companies, Republic Wireless actually will respond to You promptly, but You will be charged a support fee of $10.00.

According to their Twitter account, while in beta, support is free.

Quote from republicwrless : @bbqgrillsbuyer nope, you're good. support is all free right now.

Quote : REPUBLIC WIRELESS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO IMMEDIATELY TERMINATE SERVICE AND, IN ADDITION TO ANY AND ALL OTHER APPLICABLE CHARGES UNDER THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, CHARGE A MINIMUM INAPPROPRIATE USE FEE OF $500 AND/OR CHARGE $0.05 PER MINUTE FOR ALL CALLS MADE DURING SUCH PERIODS OF PROHIBITED USE, WHICHEVER IS HIGHER, CHARGE $0.04 PER SMS FOR ALL SMS’ MADE DURING SUCH PERIODS OF PROHIBITED USE, AND CHARGE $0.09 PER MB OF DATA CONTENT FOR USAGE DURING SUCH PERIODS OF PROHIBITED USE, AS WELL AS ALL APPLICABLE AMOUNTS DUE PURSUANT TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE AND THE SERVICE PLAN. (WE DO NOT REALLY WANT TO CHARGE YOU THESE FEES AND DO NOT EXPECT THAT YOU WILL DO ANYTHING THAT MAKES US THINK ABOUT IT. PLEASE BEHAVE.)

The oh so scary $500 fee trumpeted above applies to violating the Acceptable Use Policy in a big way. Before freaking out, read the AUP. It's attached below. In fact, read ALL the attached legal documents, and then compare them against your current carrier. Verizon, Sprint, etc. If you're planning on serving gigabytes of torrent files or running a telemarketing department, Republic Wireless probably isn't for you...

According to their Twitter feed http://twitter.com/#!/republicwrless

Sign ups/Phones will be 1st come 1st served "so act quickly"
"Look for an invite program soon. You're spot on, limited seats in beta."
One phone per account - no family plans.
You will be able to port your number "whenever you like"
There will be no charge for porting " you can port at any time (during order or later) with no fee"

Quote : People of the republic, we’d just like to clarify that 550 minutes, 150 texts, and 300 MB of data over 3G is just an example, not a limit. The more you offload to Wi-Fi, the more you can use. It's truly unlimited. We do have fair use guidelines and we encourage you to use Wi-Fi whenever possible.

https://www.facebook.com/republicwireless

A reward for being first:
Join now, and pay $99. That’s $100 less than the normal $199 cost. You read that right. For $99 you get a new smartphone, and a whole new kind of mobile phone network.
Freedom isn’t free. It’s $19.
Almost immediately you notice what’s missing. The hefty monthly bills, the endless nickel-and-diming, the big red contracts...yes, we can hear you now. Do you hear us? With republic wireless, you pay a flat $19 a month for everything. Period.
How is that possible?
republic is a Wi-Fi network. Anything cellular can do, Wi-Fi can do better (and for less). That’s 21st Century technology. That’s also basic economics. So let’s all use Wi-Fi as much as possible.
Change the way wireless works
Decide whether to become a member now, or maybe later. Either way, like minds for evolving the industry are wanted here, today. You have thoughts to share, ideas to spread. Bring them to our forums. Keep up with us via our blog. Tell the republic what’s up.
Next stop: republicwireless.com [mkto-j0070.com]
There’s so much more we have to show you. So visit, look around. Oh, that $99 offer we told you about? To get it, use the code welcome19 to join before November 27, 2011 at 11:59 pm ET.
Looking forward to being your new wireless network!

Yours,
republic wireless

Republic Wireless (Sprint Network?) - Reported to be $19/month for all you can eat.

Virgin Mobile (Sprint Network) - All you can eat, $55/month
Boost Mobile (Sprint) - All you can eat, starts at $50/month, reduced to $35/month after two years
T-Mobile - All you can eat, $50/month, no contract. All you can eat data & text only (through Wal-Mart) $30/month, no contract
Simple Mobile (T-Mobile) - Around $40/month all you can eat.
Straight Talk (AT&T Network) - All you can eat, $45/month, requires special handsets. Great for gsm Iphones, no unlock required for true 3g data, call or text, jailbreak required for mms. Must purchase a $100 refurbished handset and $45 first bill pin from straight talk's website for the correct sim to be used with Iphone.

Scams in the past?
Zer01 pyramid scheme <- While Zer01 sounds similar, it was a attempted by a different company several years back and never got past the stage of vaporware to an actual shipping product, much less a scam. The company behind Republic Wireless is Bandwidth.com, one of the largest VOIP providers in the country, and the company providing the VOIP services behind Google Voice. Google trusts them, so, how bad could they be, right?

This plan is only Unlimited through WiFi, check out this page for more details http://www.republicwireless.com/catch
How much cellular usage is too much?
It depends. Even assuming 0% wifi usage, for example, you could consume 550 minutes, send 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes of data without crossing the community’s fair use threshold. Everyone's usage patterns will be different, but we're confident you’ll be amazed at how little cellular you actually use when you have a phone that makes it easy to leverage the power of your Wi-Fi networks.

So this isn’t really an unlimited plan?
It is in fact an unlimited plan. We’ll never charge you overages, limit your download speeds, or restrict you to calling circles. Hybrid Calling makes it easy to stay within the community’s fair use guidelines.

What happens if I use more than the suggested guideline?
First, you’ll be reminded of the guidelines and to what extent you’ve crossed the fair use threshold. We’ll provide you with tips for reducing your cellular footprint and plenty of opportunity to get back on track. When we contact you about your usage, we’ll let you know how much time you have to correct your problem.

It’s not us. It’s you.
Everyone’s entitled to a bad day, week or month. Kicking the cell habit, however, isn’t for everyone. Membership here is a privilege. So, over time, if you don’t bring your CUI back into a reasonable range, we’ll help you find a more suitable, traditional cellular carrier.
Translation: If you abuse the network, we cancel your service.

PHONE SPECS:
Speed: 3G
System: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
Dimensions: 4.47" x 2.32" x 0.52"
Weight: 4.6 oz.
Display: 3.2" LED touch-sensitive screen
Connectivity: Bluetooth® 2.0;
Wi-Fi® IEEE 802.11 b/g
Power: Standard Li-ion Battery (1500 mAh)
Talk Time: Up to 5 hours
Standby Time: Up to 360 hours

PHONE FEATURES:
-Android 2.3. Advanced mobile platform with speed, enterprise features and cloud-to-device messaging.
-Swype. Experience a faster and easier way to type with this innovative keyboard. Simply slide your finger over the letters you would like to type.
-Google Integration. Your favorite tools come pre-installed, including , Gmail™, Googe Talk™, Google Calendar™ and YouTube™.
-Android Market™. Increase productivity with thousands of cutting-edge apps, such as Google Translate, Action Complete, and Google Goggles.
-Mobile Email. Access your wireless email with popular commercial POP3 and IMAP accounts, as well as well-known email services like AOL, MSN/ Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo! and more.
-Google Turn-by-Turn GPS with Voice. Navigate wherever your business takes you with the quickest directions, and find the coffee shop or copy center that you need along the way.
-Shortcuts & Widgets. Call or text your favorite contacts, search by voice or check the local weather with one touch.
-Voice Actions from Google. Control your phone with your voice. Texting and email has never been easier on the go.
-Document Viewing. View Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files on the go to maximize your mobile productivity.
-Instant Messaging. Chat from just about anywhere using Windows Live™ Messenger, Google Talk™, Yahoo® Messenger, AOL® Instant Messenger™.
-3.2 Megapixel Camera/Camcorder. Capture high-resolution images and video clips with ease when getting the shot means getting the contract.
-Wi-Fi Enabled. Access high-speed data and Internet connectivity with the ability to connect nearby Wi-Fi hot spots.
-MicroSD Memory Card Slot. Safely store photos, voice notes and music for instant access. (*Supports up to a 32GB card)
-Media Player. Play video and music files right from your phone with the convenience of the standard 3.5 mm stereo headset jack or the supported Bluetooth® stereo headset.
-Bluetooth® Enabled. Benefit from the true meaning of hands-free mobility by using wireless headsets, car kits and other compatible Bluetooth® devices (sold separately).
-TTY and Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC). This device can connect to a TTY device to allow anyone who is hearing impaired the ability to communicate. This device is certified as Hearing Aid Compatible in accordance with applicable industry standards. This device has a HAC rating of M4 for hearing aids operating in the acoustic mode and has a HAC rating of T3 for hearing aids operating in the telecoil mode.

This post can be edited by most users to provide up-to-date information about developments of this thread based on user responses, and user findings. Feel free to add, change or remove information shown here as it becomes available. This includes new coupons, rebates, ideas, thread summary, and similar items.

Updated the Wiki with the ToS, AUP, FUP, and Number Porting .PDFs found at http://republicwireless.com/legal

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Cellular Usage Index.
According to the Fair Use Policy, "Cellar Usage Index Levels. We have established a target Cellular Usage Index of 200 and we want all our community members to achieve a WiFi Offload Percentage of 60% or more."

However, "Our algorithms will change from time to time."
Also, the initial algorithm is not published.

So,
1) It is unknown how to keep the CUI down. Apparently, Republic will simply notify you that you have exceeded the CUI, not identifying how to keep it under control. If you are a heavy user, you will be eliminated.

Their FAQ seems to contradict point #1. As does common sense, since the CUI is based on your mix of call/tex/data cellphone usage. Less means....less right?

Quote from RepublicWireless FAQ : What happens if I use more than the suggested guideline? First, you’ll be reminded of the guidelines and to what extent you’ve crossed the fair use threshold. We’ll provide you with tips for reducing your cellular footprint and plenty of opportunity to get back on track. When we contact you about your usage, we’ll let you know how much time you have to correct your problem.

2) To keep the WiFi Offload Percent high, simply download movies whenever a wifi connection is available. Like, when you go to bed at night and you are on wifi, start a download session. Every night! Or call a number and keep the line open all night long on wifi.

Updated 12/22/11
Fair Use Policy eliminated
Announced republic will remain unlimited, and now without a fair use policy and no risk of being required to leave.


This post can be edited by most users to provide up-to-date information about developments of this thread based on user responses, and user findings. Feel free to add, change or remove information shown here as it becomes available. This includes new coupons, rebates, ideas, thread summary, and similar items.

Attached Thumbnails

Republic Refund.png
122.0 KB / 875 views

Attached Files

FairUsePolicyNovember7-2011-FINAL.pdf (253.1 KB, 261 views) TermsofServiceNovember7-2011-FINAL.pdf (353.2 KB, 146 views) AcceptableUsePolicyNovember7-2011-FINAL.pdf (168.5 KB, 135 views) LetterofAuthorizationNovember7-2011-FINAL.pdf (173.6 KB, 144 views)