 | | wi-fi first!
sounds tempting as a service for the price | |
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 | | | Re: wi-fi sorry i got logged out had to get logged in.. I like the plan | |
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 LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5 |  $19/mo plus how much in gov't fees/taxes/etc?
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| Reviews:
 ·Optimum Online
| Re: $19/mo plus how much in gov't fees/taxes/etc? said by Linklist:The price sounds good and their tech to use WiFi sounds great to save money. The question is how much will the price be after USF fees, state taxes, etc. My guess is the price could be almost double after all the fees are added in. Still a good price for an unlimited everything plan, but the impact will be less after all the fees.
How much are the taxes in addition to the $19?
What are they?
There are no hidden fees with republic wireless. State and local taxes vary by location. You pay $19 plus applicable taxes.
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"Leave the gun, take the cannolis" | |
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| | LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5 | Re: $19/mo plus how much in gov't fees/taxes/etc? said by Phoneman63:said by Linklist:The price sounds good and their tech to use WiFi sounds great to save money. The question is how much will the price be after USF fees, state taxes, etc. My guess is the price could be almost double after all the fees are added in. Still a good price for an unlimited everything plan, but the impact will be less after all the fees.
How much are the taxes in addition to the $19? What are they? There are no hidden fees with republic wireless. State and local taxes vary by location. You pay $19 plus applicable taxes. They have to do USF fees mandated by FCC. That can run $6 or more per month. Plus NJ does a state sales tax of 7%.
--
»www.politico.com/rss/2012-election.xml
»www.politico.com/rss/2012-election-blog.xml
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|  dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | said by Linklist:The price sounds good and their tech to use WiFi sounds great to save money. The question is how much will the price be after USF fees, state taxes, etc. My guess is the price could be almost double after all the fees are added in. Still a good price for an unlimited everything plan, but the impact will be less after all the fees.
$40
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Oh YES! let me drop everything i'm doing regardless of who it affects to deal with your petty little problem! | |
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borka
join:2003-04-01
Brooklyn, NY | interesting so basically you are paying $19 per month for 550 minutes, 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes of data. And getting free wifi calling.
no a bad option for low usage consumers. | |
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| jcremin
join:2009-12-22
Siren, WI
kudos:2 | Re: interesting said by borka:so basically you are paying $19 per month for 550 minutes, 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes of data. And getting free wifi calling.
no a bad option for low usage consumers.
Those limitations appear to only be applied when on a celluar network, and is ulimited over wifi. Could be a great deal even for high usage customers if they use the majority of their minutes/text/data in a wifi area like home or work. It wouldn't work too well for me since I use most of my minutes while on the road, but it would be a great plan for my parents. | |
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| mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI | said by borka:so basically you are paying $19 per month for 550 minutes, 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes of data. And getting free wifi calling.
no a bad option for low usage consumers.
Hey, let's sell a service that uses other companies infrastructure! A great way for WiFi hotspots to close themselves off with password only access! | |
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| | jcremin
join:2009-12-22
Siren, WI
kudos:2 | Re: interesting said by mogamer:Hey, let's sell a service that uses other companies infrastructure! A great way for WiFi hotspots to close themselves off with password only access! But for those who have wifi at home and work, it won't really matter. I don't think this plan would be aimed at people who are moving around and connecting to open wifi as the call wouldn't last too long before you are out of range of the AP. I don't think anyone should be using another person's wifi without their permission anyway. | |
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| | | mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI | Re: interesting said by jcremin:said by mogamer:Hey, let's sell a service that uses other companies infrastructure! A great way for WiFi hotspots to close themselves off with password only access! But for those who have wifi at home and work, it won't really matter. I don't think this plan would be aimed at people who are moving around and connecting to open wifi as the call wouldn't last too long before you are out of range of the AP. I don't think anyone should be using another person's wifi without their permission anyway. I wasn't talking about leechinmg off of a private network. But "free" WiFi is a way for a business the throw a bone to it's customers. If non-customers get their data from that hotspot, then some businesses will re-think that bonus. Especially if this kind of thing takes off and more players enter this field. | |
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| | | | jcremin
join:2009-12-22
Siren, WI
kudos:2 | Re: interesting said by mogamer:If non-customers get their data from that hotspot, then some businesses will re-think that bonus. Especially if this kind of thing takes off and more players enter this field. I think that is happening now anyway. People with any cell phone plan are already starting to offload data to wifi to avoid the caps, so I'm thinking it is only a matter of time. I've never liked plain "open wifi" anyway. I think it is in businesses best interest to do something to ensure that people aren't leeching off of them. At least secure it and put the security key by the cash register, or something simple. Won't keep everyone honest, but it stops all but the 1%. | |
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| | iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | Because 80 kbps of data is going to be noticeable on someone else's WiFi network. | |
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| | | mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI | Re: interesting said by iansltx:Because 80 kbps of data is going to be noticeable on someone else's WiFi network.
I really wasn't thinking about phone calls. I was thinking about people using data. That will add up fast if this becomes popular. A lot of people like the idea of a WiFi phone that isn't tied to an expensive data plan. But then you have to see the after effects if these plans take off and people suck up data on other people's dime. | |
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| | | |  espaethDigital PlumberPremium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
kudos:2
 ·Vitelity VOIP
| Re: interesting said by mogamer:I really wasn't thinking about phone calls. I was thinking about people using data. That will add up fast if this becomes popular. Maybe I'm missing something, but there are already millions of phones deployed with wifi network capabilities that people actively use for faster data rates.
If there aren't concerns with all those phones, why the concern here? | |
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| | | | |
| | | | said by mogamer:Hey, let's sell a service that uses other companies infrastructure! A great way for WiFi hotspots to close themselves off with password only access!
Already happening. As I noted in another thread: Having a WiFi-only tablet has proven very enlightening. In the three months my wife and I have had our tablets, our experience is there are relatively few wide-open WiFi hotspots anymore. The ones that aren't locked-up with at least WEP have HTTP-based username/password auth. systems.
Interestingly enough: The few we've found that were wide-open performed terribly.
Jim | |
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| | |  NickDPremium
join:2000-11-17
Princeton Junction, NJ | Re: interesting I can still go to any neighborhood and find at least 1 open wifi router. | |
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| | | | where on thier website do it say hey use your friend wi-fi.. they talk about your own wi-fi at home.. they talk about open wi-fi.. which is if it open wi-fi it can't be they selling someone else wi-fi..this is service that would service a small group of cell phone users most those folk who use their cell phone a little and are home mostly..it not a service for folk who think the world has ended if they not talking on cell phone.. | |
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| iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | Correction: free WiFi calling and texting, plus the aforementioned data.
Also, if you talk on the phone a lot at home/work/somewhere with WiFi, those 550 minutes can go a long ways. | |
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|  tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Saint Clair Shores, MI | the minutes/data/txts are JUST an example. They don't want people to go hogwild but it's JUST an example, not FIRM numbers.
Costs: 19.00 plus fee, my monthly cost will be just over 23 bucks. I'm in. Jut waiting for the phone. | |
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| jcremin
join:2009-12-22
Siren, WI
kudos:2 | Re: Hardly unlimited said by MovieLover76:unlimited wifi means nothing as they don't have to provide that part of the service. Sure they do. Well, not the data part, but the texting and voice services need servers and infrastructure. While definitely not a plan for a lot of people who use a lot of minutes while "on the go", there are still plenty that this would work great for. | |
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| | LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5 | said by jcremin:said by MovieLover76:unlimited wifi means nothing as they don't have to provide that part of the service. Sure they do. Well, not the data part, but the texting and voice services need servers and infrastructure. While definitely not a plan for a lot of people who use a lot of minutes while "on the go", there are still plenty that this would work great for. This plan would work fine for the great majority of users. If you are "on the road" all the time and need to be constantly in touch for your business, your company is paying the bill and you don't need this plan.
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»www.politico.com/rss/2012-election.xml
»www.politico.com/rss/2012-election-blog.xml
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| | | jcremin
join:2009-12-22
Siren, WI
kudos:2 | Re: Hardly unlimited said by Linklist:If you are "on the road" all the time and need to be constantly in touch for your business, your company is paying the bill and you don't need this plan. Well, I am self employed, so "my company" is still me paying the bill.  | |
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| | | | iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | Re: Hardly unlimited So get a $45 unlimited voice, text and data plan from Straight Talk with almost the same phone (just with a keyboard) and the same network, without the requirement for spending much of your time on cellular. | |
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| | | | | jcremin
join:2009-12-22
Siren, WI
kudos:2 | Re: Hardly unlimited said by talz13:Can't you just "write it off"? Funny, when we (my business partner and I) were first starting our company, I was beginning to explain to her how "write offs" worked. First things out of her mouth: "So we can go to Hawaii and just write it off so it doesn't cost anything". I was like: "Um, not exactly, I mean, we still have to be able to pay for the trip and only saves us a little in taxes, it's not like it is free!" lol. | |
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| | | | | | | | Re: Hardly unlimited said by jcremin:Funny, when we (my business partner and I) were first starting our company, I was beginning to explain to her how "write offs" worked. First things out of her mouth: "So we can go to Hawaii and just write it off so it doesn't cost anything". I was like: "Um, not exactly, I mean, we still have to be able to pay for the trip and only saves us a little in taxes, it's not like it is free!" lol.
To be fair, lots of people learn off people that word things very sloppily. My father always said "You can write off costs to your business and get your money back."
You most definitely do not get your money back. I figured it out easily enough, but more proper wording would've been "You don't pay income tax on what you write off. Sometimes it drops you a tax bracket, saving you even more money."
Of course, the government still gets its taxes. If you buy something, it's sales tax. If you pay someone, they pay income tax. | |
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| iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | They have to provide the SIP trunking etc. for the VoIP side, so it isn't exactly "nothing." Also, the service honestly isn't badly priced for what you get even if you count only cellular minutes. | |
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| | rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO | Re: Hardly unlimited What this does is make folks like Vonage look horribly, horribly overpriced. MagicJack is still less for a pure VOIP play but $19 is a great price considering the cell "anywhere/anytime" minutes you get on Sprint's network. | |
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| | | iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | Re: Hardly unlimited Particularly since MagicJack won't connect calls to certain locations, and I guarantee that this service will.
But yeah, makes Vonage look ridiculously overpriced. Same with cable VoIP. Same with landlines in general. | |
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| | | | | Just to play devil's advocate here, doesn't Vonage give you the equipment for free, versus this plan where the user buys the phone upfront? I would think there is more hardware recoup in Vonage's fees than in Republic's. | |
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| | | Sounds to me like a home phone replacement that you can take with you for $19 a month. Good idea that will probably work well for alot of people. | |
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| |
 thegeekPremium
join:2008-02-21
right here
kudos:2 | Wonder if you can root it? Not that there are that many advantages to rooting that device. I have the Verizon version of that phone for my daughter. It's a great device for kids, not so much for adults. | |
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See 8 replies to this post |
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| | Where is the intro price? Where do you get the $99 limited-time price from? I looked over the website and found no mention of it. | |
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| iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | Re: Where is the intro price? You should have gotten an e-mail with that information. | |
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| tivoboy
join:2004-05-10
Menlo Park, CA | you have the use the coupon code | |
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| | | What email? What coupon code? When I click join I get a popup that says to come back later. I entered my email in the 'Not Ready Yet?' and have not received an email. | |
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| | | | Re: Where is the intro price? You had to have previously signed up for the email list (as in, prior to today - launch day). | |
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| | Fail "Membership here is a privilege"??? Are they for real? I don't think I've *ever* seen a company write that. That requires a level of arrogance and condescension that even the most cynical of HR departments would never allow. The bizarre thing is how Americans take it like abused children- willingly and as if it's the norm.
Furthermore how are they legally allowed to call the service "unlimited" when they have very specific usage limits at which they'll kick you off? That's retarded. They can label it "unlimited wi-fi phone calls" but their current branding is false advertising.
2 quotes: "Everyone’s entitled to a bad day, week or month. Kicking the cell habit, however, isn’t for everyone." And from their website, "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."
They make it sound like a freaking drug addiction. Holy cow. Are they absolutely insane? If this garbage catches on I will be at a loss for how little self-respect Americans have. | |
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| iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 Reviews:
 ·Verizon Online DSL
·RoadRunner Cable
·Comcast
| Re: Fail republic doesn't have to serve all customers. Also, their minute allowances for on-cellular calling are soft caps, hence the "bad day/week/month" bit.
As far as "privilege" goes, if you're able to keep heavy calling on WiFi (I know I would be able to do this...may pick the device up to play with it) then you can use 3k minutes per month without a problem. 'cuz SIP is heap. | |
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| | BiggA
join:2005-11-23
EARTH | Re: Fail Yeah, it works because you have to pay for the air interface (wifi) and backhaul (cable/dsl/fiber) for most of the minutes. Works well since everyone else pays for those things. | |
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| | | iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | Re: Fail Yeah...your point? In return for doing aggressive WiFi offloading republic shaves $26 off your monthly bill compared to someone like Straight Talk. I fail to see the issue with this business model, though it's not for everyone. | |
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| | | | BiggA
join:2005-11-23
EARTH | Re: Fail Nothing against them. Utilizing your own connection and router better to save you money. Good thing for the right users. | |
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| | | It would be "garbage" if they were charging traditional prices for the service.
But they're not (maybe you didn't notice) - non-traditional pricing calls for non-traditional policies. | |
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| | please hard cap this before people start to get really angry they need to hard cap this thing and be upfront about where exactly users will get terminated.
this is a price point that will get a lot of people to give up high end phones just to save money, but it well smell like a scam if they get kicked off.
i am not saying they need to give true unlimited, just that they need to be upfront about what the limit is. | |
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| iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | Re: please hard cap this They are giving soft cap numbers. What else do you want? | |
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iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Verizon Online DSL
·RoadRunner Cable
·Comcast
| Device selection The one phone they have appears to be a rebadged LG Optimus Net. It's actually not a bad phone...sure, it isn't an iPhone or a Galaxy SII, but they want to meet the $200 non-contract price point.
By comparison, you'd probably pay ~$50 for this phone on-contract with one of the big guys, or $180-$200 for the phone on Net10, Straight Talk or Virgin Mobile (who sell the same or similar models). | |
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 Matt3All noise, no signal.Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
kudos:12 |  Great Idea
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| | I see this working out great When I turned off my IPhone from ATT, I used google voice and a SIP. Used the phone just fine on any open WiFi and at home. Was a fraction of the cost of my monthy bill. I don't live in a hugh city, and there are lots of open WiFi that biz have around here. I love the idea of this. I really hope it works and they get more phone! (and sprint builds a few more towers) | |
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elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA | Fail WiFi call-handoff will never work well enough.
WiFi access is overrated.
The $200 buy-in will deter most.
The double-secret cap enforcement will make headlines, and in the confusion, remaining potential customers will just avoid it. I'm fine with published caps/throttling that are reasoned. Playing word games will lose goodwill quickly. ("if you don’t bring your CUI back into a reasonable range, we’ll help you find a more suitable, traditional cellular carrier.")
I'd probably choose MetroPCS' $20/500-minute prepaid plan over an unknown gimmick. | |
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| | | Re: Fail Gimmick? You do realize who Bandwidth.com is right? They are one of the largest CLECs in the United States and their the power behind Google Voice, Magic Talk and plenty of other VoIP/SIP providers. That company is far from a gimmick.
www.bandwidth.com | |
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| | elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA | Re: Fail said by 25139889:Gimmick? You do realize who Bandwidth.com is right? They are one of the largest CLECs in the United States and their the power behind Google Voice, Magic Talk and plenty of other VoIP/SIP providers. That company is far from a gimmick.
www.bandwidth.com
Thanks. I wasn't aware of Bandwidth.Com, nor "who" they are.
But the examples you've cited only serve to reinforce my assessment.
Google Voice and Magic Jack are both gimmicks.
Who do you call at Google when your service doesn't work?
Likewise, for Magic Talk? | |
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| | | | | Re: Fail Yeah, but MetroPCS is a horrible example of a competitor to this service. Very few people can actually get their service because the home areas are rather small. | |
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| | | | elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA | Re: Fail said by Rambo76098:Yeah, but MetroPCS is a horrible example of a competitor to this service. Very few people can actually get their service because the home areas are rather small.
Their service map and their nine million customers contradict your claim. But I'll agree that the service is nothing to write home about, just like Sprint MVNOs.
Just visiting one of their stores full of EBT customers was enough to encourage me to go elsewhere, though I did like the 7-digit dialing. | |
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gbh2o
join:2000-12-18
Greenville, NC | Wifi/cell service Everyone should note that this is a beta-test program and their on-line sign-up process isn't even active/complete so far. | |
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Reviews:
·Hargray Cable
| Right up my ally I use tracfone right now and the only problem I have is I wish they had smarter phones. I'm not a power user so I wouldn't go over their limits. On tracfone I only use about 400 minutes every three months BTW, texts and internet use is deducted in minutes.
Have to keep an eye on this. | |
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espaethDigital PlumberPremium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Vitelity VOIP
| Battery life? The only real downside that I would see to this type of setup would be the massive hit to battery life. While phone manufacturers have made great strides to reduce the power footprint of wifi on devices, it's still nowhere near as efficient as the phone's CDMA radio for interfacing with the cellular network.
If I use a SIP client on my Samsung Epic as a basis for comparison, the talk time is 50% or less using wifi than making a standard call through Sprint's CDMA network. | |
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| |
Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service
·Verizon Online DSL
·Comcast
 ·T-Mobile US
| Overall A good way to drive the big 3 (or 4s) prices down... I myself dont depend on using this service because I know I use more than there allocated amount of mins/ txt and data away from a wifi network. However this little guy throwing his gloves on to step in the ring with the big boys is quite interesting. No matter how you run it, or how you find the devil in the details with it when ATT, TMO, Verizon, ( even sprints MNVO) , etc are all offering, Some sort of unlimited everything for $50 and here comes option B, and @ $20 People will take notice.
We All know the big guys have slowly started to increase there $50 everything plans with gotchas, & add ons... IE: ATT no smartphone on $50 plan, you have to purchase more data, TMO unlimited but only for the first 100 MB which is BS you can hit that in less than a day wit normal usage then your throttled back to 56k or have to go up $10-20 for more 4g/3g/ or decent 2g data access. Verizon unlimited at $50 and your stuck with only the the most basic phones out, there pretty much cutting edge phones .... 6 yrs ago!
So even though I may never use it ( along with the rest of my tech assoc), it may help shake up market prices again which is what we need since TMO decided to follow the big boys motto lately.
TMO particularly may rethink and reprice there prepaid options and instead go for $30 unlimited talk and txt 30 mb of data@ 4g then throttle to 56k, $40 for talk txt and 500mb of data 4G then 56k, $50 unlimited talk txt and 2-5 GB of 4G then throttled to 512kbps after.
I can only imagine what ATT and verizon will do ..my Guess Allow smartphones on there $50 prepaid options ( certain conditions will apply) would be there way of firing back. | |
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 tmh
@comcastbusiness.net | Ridiculous 300Mb data limit over a *WiFi* connection? Why any limit? That bandwidth is already paid for. | |
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| | | Re: Ridiculous No, the 300 MB of data is over the cellular network. It's unlimited over wi-fi. | |
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| | | You're reading their examples incorrectly. Everything is unlimited, over both WiFi or Sprint's network. But, your ratio of WiFi offloading (super cheap for Republic) to Sprint use (not so cheap for Republic) must be kept above a certain level, or you'll be asked to leave. | |
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| | Apps Will this custom phone have the Android store and allow for any app to be installed? I know this may seem obvious to some, but it is my understanding that the Android phones on Virgin are limited to specific apps. I see nothing about the android store or android apps listed on their site only android itself is mentioned. | |
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| | | Re: Apps I don't know about this, but, as for Virgin Mobile, one of my coworkers has an Optimus V with them, and she can install whatever she likes, even apps from outside the Android Market. | |
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| | | | Re: Apps Interesting, thanks. That must have changed since the last time I looked into it. | |
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|  davoice
join:2000-08-12
Saxapahaw, NC | I have an LG Optimus V on Virgin. You can install whatever you want from the Android Market. That's been the case w/ every Android phone they have offered. Not sure where you got your incorrect info. That only applied to feature phones - that were not Android. | |
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| | | Yes, Republic's Optimus has the full Marketplace as well as Google apps installed. It is a "with Google blessing" device. | |
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BiggA
join:2005-11-23
EARTH Reviews:
·Comcast
| Native Sprint coverage I look at this as in some ways having better coverage than the big boys, especially if you're in buildings with wifi a lot. I could see this being huge for the university crowd, well-build]t university networks are pushing into the 90% coverage range for their campuses so you would almost not even need to use Sprint CDMA at all, and many urban campus locations have good Sprint CDMA coverage when needed as backup.
On the other hand, it is native Sprint, which is pretty limited, so while you will beat even Verizon when there's no cell coverage available, but wifi is, you will not do well when traveling away from wifi.
I'd be most worried about the text overages. A few hundred texts is super easy to blow through, even though 550 is virtually unlimited, and 300MB of data is a lot.
The Optimus is $150 on VM, free on 2-year contract with anyone (although why would you get that on a contract???), but it is a legitimately really nice phone. The screen resolution is low, but it's snappy, feels great in your hand, and runs a close to AOSP build of Android. | |
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| | | Re: Native Sprint coverage Sprint's native coverage is pretty large. On that CellCo map you should zoom in and actually see how much of it shows as "extended" network; which is their nice way of saying ROAMING. | |
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| | BiggA
join:2005-11-23
EARTH Reviews:
·Comcast
| Re: Native Sprint coverage Cellco partnership has a lot of native coverage, with some big holes, but they have the biggest native network. AT&T has a lot more roaming, but they also have a large native network. There's always weird exceptions like CellCo roaming on CellularONE of northeast PA because Verizon doesn't own PCS or CLR there. That problem will be history soon, since CellCo can build 700mhz LTE in any area that has high roaming traffic, so only voice and text have to roam.
Sprint's native coverage is pathetic. There's holes in their coverage in CONNETICUT. We're a tiny state with tons of people. In New Hampshire, their coverage ENDS at the bottom of the big lake, which has a gazillion tourists, so native Sprint is pretty useless if you need to be connected while traveling or vacationing. Also, on contract Sprint, the only reason you have such good coverage in rural areas is because you're using CellCo towers. Sprint only builds a skeletal network when you're not in urban/suburban areas. Even T-Mobile's EDGE network is bigger! Sprint needs to get their stuff together, and build more towers, and consolidate their existing CDMA/iDen coverage. The thing is, their network is not set up for prepaid, it's setup for post paid, where it's cheaper in many places for them to pay CellCo to roam than it is to build native coverage. Basically, there's no free ride in wireless, and you get what you pay for. | |
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