MVNO Republic Wireless credits cash for unused cellular data
Following up on a trial earlier this year, mobile virtual network operator Republic Wireless expanded the availability of new rate plans that refund costs associated with unused cellular data as a credit on a customer’s bill.
Republic currently charges $7.50 per 500 megabytes of cellular data on its rate plans, with any unused data refunded at $1.50 per 100 megabytes. The MVNO’s plans that include cellular data begin at $17.50 per month, and include unlimited Wi-Fi calling, text messaging and data, and unlimited cellular calling and text messaging along with 500 megabytes of cellular data.
Republic, which initially launched the promotion in April for select customers, claims its customers’ average monthly bill is less than $15 per month and that a majority of those customers use “much less than 1 gigabyte of cellular data per month.”
Google earlier this year launched its Fi wireless service that also relies heavily on Wi-Fi connectivity and refunds customers for unused cellular data. The Google Fi service is priced at $20 per month for unlimited voice calling and text messaging over both cellular and Wi-Fi, with customers able to add cellular data access for $10 per gigabyte. Unused data is refunded at the same $10 per gigabyte amount.
More established operators have begun to allow customers to keep unused cellular data access using “rollover” plans. T-Mobile US late last year launched its Data Stash program that allows customers to keep unused data from packages of at least 3 GB for up to 1 year. AT&T Mobility followed up with its own program that allowed customers to rollover unused data for 1 month, while Sprint more recently launched a program to allow its branded prepaid customers to keep up to 30 GB of unused data for an unlimited amount of time.
Republic Wireless launched in late 2011, offering customers “unlimited” services for $19 per month. The company encourages customers to use Wi-Fi for connectivity, but has a deal with Sprint for cellular access. Republic Wireless said it plans to add a second cellular carrier partner to its service by the end of the year.
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