Republic Wireless’ new smartphone is here.
The Raleigh company on Thursday announced the availability of Motorola’s Moto X phone and along with it, a slate of new plans that offer wireless service starting as low as $5 a month. And what better way to announce the arrival of a disruptive new wireless offering by giving it away? Republic CEO David Morken, speaking at the Internet Summit at the Raleigh Convention Center, gave away a new Moto X and lifetime service to the person in the room who had the highest phone bill – $250.
Republic launched last year with a different Motorola phone, the low-frills Defy XT. What attracted customers to the service was the low $19 a monthly smartphone plan. But Republic users and prospective customers have been clamoring for a higher-end phone with more features. In September, Republic announced it would offer Motorola’s Moto X starting in November. Customers must pay $299 for the phone. But they do have a wider choice in phone plans.
Users willing to use the service on Wi-Fi only can get unlimited talk, text and data for just $5 a month. Unlimited talk and text on Wi-Fi and cellular and unlimited data on Wi-Fi costs $10 per month. For $25 per month, users can get unlimited talk, text and data on Wi-Fi plus 3G cellular. At $40 per month, users get unlimited talk, text and data on Wi-Fi, plus 4G cellular.
Republic can offer inexpensive wireless service because it is designed to operate primarily on the ubiquitous and free Wi-Fi networks in the home, workplaces and some public spaces. The Moto X switches to Sprint’s cellular network as backup when Wi-Fi is unavailable.
Customers can now buy the Moto X through Republic’s website. While it’s still early to gauge sales, it’s a device that many in the Republic community have been eagerly anticipating. A Republic employee confided to WRALTechWire that one customer had been checking in with the company hourly to find out when the company will launch the new Moto X smartphone. For that customer and others the wait is over.
