In the startup world, being labeled a “disruptor” is quite an addition to the resume.
David Morken, whose frustration with cell phone bills for his family led to the idea for a new kind of wireless service, is one of a small group named as “Disruptors” by Entrepreneur Magazine.
Morken is the “brainchild” behind Raleigh-based Republic Wireless, which is shaking up the wireless world with a flat-rate $19 a month service that blends Wi-Fi and regular cell service.
For his efforts, Entrepreneur recognized him among a handful of other executives across a variety of industries as “Disruptors” for 2013.
“David Morken admits that the promise he made to reward his kids with iPhones if they brought home straight A’s was no stroke of genius,” the magazine says. “But the business concept inspired by the ensuing $1,000-plus phone bills may well turn out to be.”
Republic, which was spawned from Bandwidth.com, a provider of broadband and other communications services and also is based in Raleigh, doesn’t talk about subscriber growth. But it is upgrading to new phones, a 4G network rather than 3G, and also recently expanded its customer support.
At its core, however, Republic remains Wi-Fi linked.
“The future of mobile technology and the essence of the smartphone, I believe, is Wi-Fi,” Morken told the magazine. “It will continue to eat the world because it’s so much cheaper.”
The magazine notes that the growth of Wi-Fi “hot spots” is on the verge of nearly tripling with some 11 million already accessible to the network.
Critics have questioned the technology and the hand-offs, as Entrepreneur notes. However, Morken says the company is adding “tens of thousands” of customers every month since launching in December.
In a statement, Morken reacted humbly to the honor.
“From day 1, Republic Wireless has strived to simplify the world of wireless and lower the costs of owning a smartphone for all consumers,” he said. “It is a tremendous honor to receive this recognition from Entrepreneur magazine, and I am humbled by the recognition.”
“In many ways we are just getting started – we anticipate moving out of beta mode soon. While there is more work to be done, I believe we have a huge opportunity, and I believe we can change the game to benefit consumers. It isn’t easy to challenge the status quo – especially not in the $178 billion wireless industry where a few national carriers have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are. Wi-Fi is cheap and plentiful and there is no reason smartphones can’t use both networks and save consumers a lot of money at the same time,”
