Republic Wireless Goes All In, Announces Unlimited Everything
Upstart wireless service provider Republic Wireless is upping the ante in the market. The company announced in a blog post that it will offer unlimited service to all users for just $19 per month.
Republic Wireless--which is still in beta--earlier offered the flat $19 per month plan, but its limits were bound up in a confusing thing that the company called the Cellular Usage Index (CUI). Now, after much discussion (and presumably, a lot of customer blowback), Republic Wireless has decided to essentially say “screw it” and go with the unlimited option.
The wireless industry isn’t exactly an easy market in which to compete, especially without a running start, but Republic Wireless is leveraging WiFi’s increasing ubiquity to undercut the competition. The service keeps its users on WiFi whenever possible, switching them over to cellular service only when necessary, thereby keeping cost margins very low.
The prospect of relying so much on WiFi seems to be less than ideal, but then again, a single month of capped 3G service on a larger carrier costs about the same as a year of unlimited service from Republic Wireless.
Republic Wireless--which is still in beta--earlier offered the flat $19 per month plan, but its limits were bound up in a confusing thing that the company called the Cellular Usage Index (CUI). Now, after much discussion (and presumably, a lot of customer blowback), Republic Wireless has decided to essentially say “screw it” and go with the unlimited option.
The wireless industry isn’t exactly an easy market in which to compete, especially without a running start, but Republic Wireless is leveraging WiFi’s increasing ubiquity to undercut the competition. The service keeps its users on WiFi whenever possible, switching them over to cellular service only when necessary, thereby keeping cost margins very low.
The prospect of relying so much on WiFi seems to be less than ideal, but then again, a single month of capped 3G service on a larger carrier costs about the same as a year of unlimited service from Republic Wireless.
