
$19/month cell carrier Republic Wireless overwhelmed on release day - thechut
https://www.republicwireless.com/home/wow.html
======
johnbatch
The support policy is interesting.

 _"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."_ ...

also: _"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.)"_

looking at a copy posted at:
[http://a.slickdeals.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=747242&#...</a> The TOS
should be at <a href="http://www.republicwireless.com/legal/terms"
rel="nofollow">http://www.republicwireless.com/legal/terms</a><p>EDIT: TOS are
back online at <a href="http://www.republicwireless.com/legal/"
rel="nofollow">http://www.republicwireless.com/legal/</a>

~~~
ben1040
This "inappropriate use" thing seems to read a little sketchy. Especially
because further down in the TOS in 18(b)(iv) they state it's a violation to
"modify any software included in any Mobile Device(s)."

I know they probably _won't_ fine you $500 or charge you exorbitantly if you
root your phone. But under the terms here aren't you're basically agreeing
that they _can_ if they want?

~~~
chris11
The only way they can afford to offer this is because they are forcing people
to use wifi when available. So I could see them cutting off service to people
who root their phones. As to inappropriate use, they have articulated clear
standards for fair use here:
[http://www.republicwireless.com/home/pdfs/FairUsePolicyNovem...](http://www.republicwireless.com/home/pdfs/FairUsePolicyNovember7-2011-FINAL.pdf)
but the standards are based on proprietary info, so you won't be able to
double check stats.

~~~
sliverstorm
In other words, they must reserve a very big hammer to protect themselves
simply due to the type of business they are trying to start. Said hammer
_could_ be abused, but they cannot not have it.

------
tryitnow
Well, even if Republic isn't that great the fact that they got overwhelmed on
release day is a strong signal to other entrepreneurs, executives, and
investors that the public wants this badly.

Let's hope the market responds and competitors are attracted to this niche.

~~~
bradleyland
The buying public sees $19/month first and foremost, and the majority of
consumers will look no further. Cheap sells, but it's a short term play.

Once the consumer gets the product home, they start using it. I've done a lot
of telecom work, including rolling out large scale VoIP deployments for
publicly traded companies. VoIP is great when it's well engineered. When you
slap it on "any old network", it sucks. Horribly.

Users of this phone are going to experience horrible call quality at some
point. VoIP calls over a home wireless network with zero QoS makes this a
question of "when", not "if". The first time someone sends an email with a
large attachment or Dropbox uploads a large file while someone is on their
Republic phone, the house of cards will come crashing down. Don't believe me?
Run a continuous ping to google.com and upload a large file on cable or DSL.

So, the message to entrepreneurs, executives, and investors is that consumers
want a cheaper cell phone plan...

I can think of only one response: duh!

This is a prime example of an "execution counts" scenario. If Republic is
successful, it will be because they solved some very difficult technical
problems like automatically switching to the cellular network when network
conditions degrade. I don't know of anyone doing that though. It would seem
they have to solve this problem somehow. What happens if you're on a WiFi call
and you leave the network area? If they pull it off, major kudos to them.

Other VoIP companies with large deployments face similar issues. Vonage (last
time I used them) prefers that you use their router as your primary, because
it has QoS rules built in. Comcast's VoIP solution works fantastically because
their network is really well engineered for VoIP.

If Republic's plan is to simply hand a phone to users and hop on to their WiFi
network, I'd anticipate catastrophic return rates and customer
dissatisfaction.

Then again, people are cheap. Republic may find that there is a viable
community of cost conscious consumers who will tolerate the occasional bad
call in exchange for a low, low price.

~~~
amalag
I don't think I agree that VOIP on home IP networks will suck. I have 15 Mb
with Cox. I can't see it being overwhelmed unless I have a torrent running. We
have control over our home networks. I am paying $80 for 2 lines for only
voice. I would love to save $40 a month.

------
JCB_K
Seems like an interesting concept. Still, when it comes to mobile contracts
I'm happy I'm not living in the US. Even though this seems to be quite a good
deal, it has quite a strict fair use policy. [1] Here in the UK I pay £10
($16) a month for 250 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data. No
contract, free texts and calls to people on the same network.

[1] "the company suggests that 550 minutes, 150 texts, and 300 MB of data
would be close to the limit" -
[http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/smart_phones/23...](http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/smart_phones/231902609)

------
Urgo
If the order page ever does go live remember to use the coupon code
"welcome19" to get the phone for $99 instead of $199.

------
naner
[http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/31/republic-wireless-an-
androi...](http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/31/republic-wireless-an-android-
powered-voipcellular-hybrid-carrier-that-will-cut-your-phone-bill-in-half/)

There's a brief description. What I've always wondered about this technology
(without looking too much into it) is can I start a phone call on my home
Wifi, unplug the router, and have the phone atomagically switch over to the
Cellular network without losing the call? Because that seem like it would be
difficult. And I don't really know if I want a service where I can't move
around freely while on a call.

~~~
bmelton
I don't specifically know anything about this implementation, but T-Mobile had
the T-Mobile @ Home program, which allowed you to place cellular calls over
WiFi without using minutes.

In that scenario, I was able to start a call on my WiFi and leave the house
which seamlessly transferred over to cellular. Aside from the obvious, it's
not _really_ much different than a cell tower handoff, and most people don't
even realize that's happening all the time as you drive around.

~~~
andrewpi
T-Mobile now calls that service 'Wi-Fi Calling', and provides it on certain
Android phones via software by Kineto Wireless. However, unlike the original
UMA solution that T-Mobile BlackBerrys had, the Android software does not
support handoffs between Wi-Fi and cellular, and it will drop your call.

------
soult
Can someone explain to me why this is such great news? Is $19/month especially
cheap for American carriers or are they offering some kind of special feature?

~~~
skymt
It's extraordinarily cheap, especially for an "unlimited" plan. For
comparison: Republic Wireless uses Sprint's network, and Sprint's "unlimited"
plan costs $99/month. (In theory, Republic gets away with this by using wifi
rather than the cell network whenever possible. We'll see if it works.)

~~~
arthurgibson
Its not "unlimited" cellular, there is a fair use policy, this article
indicates: "Republic's fair-use limits are 550 minutes, 150 text messages, and
300MB when on a cellular connection" -
[http://www.mobileburn.com/17420/news/republic-wireless-
launc...](http://www.mobileburn.com/17420/news/republic-wireless-launches-
its-19-per-month-unlimited-service-strings-attached)

~~~
cshesse
They're not really clear, but supposedly it's unlimited as long as, say, 50%
of your mintues/texts/data are done through wifi.

------
iigs
I'm not particularly interested in this for my phone. I'm not sure why -- I
think I'm still more comfortable with the idea of having an "unlimited"
resource for talking.

This, however, would be a stellar model for iPad use. If I had a tier-2 tablet
offering, I'd be tripping all over myself to get it in front of these guys,
especially with the Sprint network underneath it having credible 4G in big
cities.

~~~
yuhong
Most tablets already has support for handing off between Wi-Fi and 3G already.

------
zwilliamson
The site is overloaded. It appears they weren't able to design their site to
scale quickly under high load. I wonder were they are hosting.

~~~
jf

      ==========[ republicwireless.com ]==========
      Web Hosting:
        (Amazon.com)
            107.20.252.178
      
      DNS Hosting:
        (awsdns-18.net)
            ns-660.awsdns-18.net.
        (awsdns-07.org)
            ns-1081.awsdns-07.org.
        (awsdns-58.co.uk)
            ns-2007.awsdns-58.co.uk.
        (awsdns-33.com)
            ns-271.awsdns-33.com.
    
      Email Hosting:
        (Google (Postini))
            10 bandwidth.com.s9a1.psmtp.com.
            20 bandwidth.com.s9a2.psmtp.com.
            30 bandwidth.com.s9b1.psmtp.com.
            40 bandwidth.com.s9b2.psmtp.com.
    
      Domain Registrar:
        (Network Solutions)
      
      SSL Issuer:
        (Network Solutions L.L.C.)
            Common Name: *.republicwireless.com

~~~
z92
How did you generate this report? Used some tool, or formatted it yourself?

~~~
jf
I used a tool that I wrote for myself, it turns out that it's way more handy
than I thought it would be! <https://github.com/jpf/domain-profiler/>

------
grouptweet
Anyone consider the idea that maybe they put up the current message as a ploy
to perpetuate the image that demand was overwhelming? Seems to be a solid
strategy for drumming up more publicity.

Seems to be somewhat possible considering their other marketing materials.

------
elliottcarlson
The actual order page has been activated again -

<https://www.republicwireless.com/checkout/>

Remember to use promo code "welcome19" as mentioned in this thread to get the
phone for $99 as opposed to $199.

------
guynamedloren
Looks like they're finally up - just got my order in. Not sure if it
corresponds to anything, but my order number is just below 1500.

------
ww520
How good is the VoIP? I've used VoIP phones and their services were spotty.
The main drawback is the silence erasure.

------
andrewpi
The site (www.republicwireless.com) seems to be working again now, but now
they are promising shipping in 30-60 days.

------
walru
I can't seem to find an answer to whether or not I'm able to transfer my
current number to Republic. Anyone?

~~~
guynamedloren
During the signup/checkout process they ask if you're porting a number to
republic, so I'm assuming they support it (or will in the near future).

------
kqr2
Even if you place an order, it looks like the wait time is 30-60 days...

------
Metapony
Does anyone know what phone they are shipping with this?

~~~
jbseek
Some info on the phone I found on some site:
<================================================>

In order to use Republic's $19 per month plan, you must purchase its specially
modified LG Optimus smartphone. A clone of the Optimus S available from
Sprint, Republic's Optimus includes software that manages the switch from Wi-
Fi to cellular networks automatically. The software permanently runs in the
background, so it is likely to have an impact on battery life when compared
with a normal Optimus smartphone. The Republic Optimus costs $199 without any
contract commitment.

~~~
retroafroman
You can get the phone for $99 if you use the promo code listed here (before
11/27): [http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/07/republic-wireless-
officiall...](http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/07/republic-wireless-officially-
unveils-19month-service-unlimited-everything-no-contracts/)

------
ajma
has anyone been able to get an order in yet?

