Republic Wireless to open its doors to new customers this summer, new Android phones coming

4. downphoenix posted on 22 Mar 2012, 16:07 0

Im rooting for them. If the service continues to work well and the phone selection improves also (and maybe allow bringing over unlocked phones we already have) then Id switch in a heartbeat.

5. freedomispopular posted on 22 Mar 2012, 22:02 0

It would be nice to see this capability baked into future devices. Which I guess would put Republic out of business, but putting less strain on the major carrier's networks could potentially cause them to lower prices, or give better value for the current pricing structure (hey, I can dream, right?)

6. ibap posted on 23 Mar 2012, 07:34 0

The biggie for me is that cellular signal at my house is lousy for all carriers. We're currently on Sprint with their femtocell, but that's one more device on our network, and the bill, while not as high as what VZW would charge for our 3 phones, is a lot more than $60.

Also, with daughter heading off to college, I'm thinking wifi is ubiquitous these days on college campuses, and will address signal issues inside buildings. With free wifi in a lot of businesses as well, this seems like a great way to deal with signal issues inside buildings.

Ting is another carrier with lower costs, but seems to roam on Sprint native for data (more limited), but full Sprint-with-roaming for voice. Republic appears to use Sprint-with-roaming for both - a big plus.

T-mobile has had this on some of their phones for quite some time, but it doesn't lower your bill.