Saw this on the Republic Wireless blog today (22 DEC 11):

REF: »republicwireless.com/blog/unlimited


Submitted by brian on Thu, 12/22/2011

“Is republic wireless really unlimited?” we laid out the fair use policies we had established to support our $19 monthly price. A dynamic and spirited discussion ensued, which we were flattered to see! In response, we have a big announcement to share.

From today, republic wireless is all-in.

We see Big Cell’s stance, and are raising the standard to create something radically better. We’re eliminating all usage thresholds, and with them the concern some of you have expressed about losing your membership for maintaining too large a cellular footprint.

This is what being in beta is really all about. We’re here to learn and innovate or fail trying. And as we’ve said before, we’re not here to sell you but to build a new wireless business together with you. You helped us realize that we didn’t get this right on our first try with the CUI, that we can and should do better.

Some of your feedback about our CUI concept and fair use thresholds ranged from confusion to extreme criticism, with a wide variety of thoughts and suggestions in between. Some judged our marketing to be “deceptive.” Others felt our concepts were just too complicated, and unnecessary to expose to end users. There has been much debate about how to quantify an apparent “cap”... and whether it was accurate to characterize our policy as one. Many sought further clarification from us about details, corrections, tools and further illustrations.

Some of you advised that we just step back from being “unlimited.” The incumbents, for their part, have by and large given up on the idea. Confronted with the economics and physics of expensive, scarce cellular, and seeing profit potential in the burgeoning market for smartphones, Big Cell has employed usage caps, price increases and controls. Now republic wireless is no incumbent, and this is not the direction we are going.

Rather than revising our fair use policy, we’ve decided not to have one at all. There will simply be no thresholds, and no risk of losing service. We’re doing away with all of that to keep all of the focus instead on where it really belongs: Creating a new wireless future together. A future that is simple to understand, unfettered to use, and an amazing value for all. That’s what we started down this path to do. That’s where the power of this vibrant community, dynamic Wi-Fi ecosystem and revolutionary technology should be invested. We’re all-in.

More here: »Republic Scraps Their Fair Use Provision