How Republic Wireless' $19 Smartphone Plan Works (ContributorNetwork)

A while ago, I wrote about "My $15 a Month Android Data Plan." To get my monthly wireless bill that low, I used AT&T GoPhone's a la carte prepaid pricing to buy the cheapest 100 MB data option, then used apps like Google Voice and GrooVe IP to text and make phone calls over 3G and Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the amount of data I purchased turned out to be inadequate, and the call quality was poor.

Republic Wireless' Hybrid Calling technology, however, promises to make sub-$20 data plans feasible, by fixing the problems with using your phone over Wi-Fi. Its $19 per month plan offers "Unlimited minutes, data, & text", and since it's prepaid it has no monthly contract or early termination fees.

How does it work?

In addition to wireless network signal bars, each Republic Wireless phone also has a bright green icon at the top of the screen to show when Hybrid Calling is active. Whenever the phones are near usable Wi-Fi, all texts and telephone calls go through Wi-Fi, instead of using 3G.

According to Stacey Higginbotham of GigaOm, if a Wi-Fi connection cuts out your call won't be interrupted; "users will hear a tone in the middle of a call signaling the change in networks, but the call will continue."

So what's the catch?

The first one is the phone. It's an LG Optimus V running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, an extremely bare-bones device at the low end of Android handsets. And since Republic's plans are contract-free, you have to pay the whole price of the phone up front; the $199 signup fee includes one month of service.

The second is Republic's definition of "unlimited." It measures your "Cellular Usage Index," and says if you go over "the community's fair use threshold" you'll be asked to "correct your problem." An example it gives of wireless usage that isn't excessive is 550 minutes, 150 texts and 300 megabytes of data, but Republic gives no hard-and-fast guarantees for what its guidelines are or whether or not they will change (although in an interview with PCWorld, the company's vice president suggested that its rates could drop in the future).

Where is it available?

Republic uses Sprint's wireless network. Its quality depends on your area, and its CDMA wireless network basically rules out using your phone away from Wi-Fi overseas. And Republic says "You need about 80kbps both ways to hold a call," so a home with a DSL line is inadequate ... and making calls while streaming video on your laptop is probably out.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111108/us_ac/10393635_how_republic_wireless_19_smartphone_plan_works

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