Republic Wireless launched a weeklong promotion enabling new Android users to access 2 GB of LTE data a month free for six months.
The Wi-Fi-first MVNO said customers can order a free SIM card through Monday and activate service by June 6 to get as much as 2 GB of high-speed data after the first full billing cycle. Users must pay shipping for the SIM card—estimated to be between $3 and $4 —and the offer is good only for new lines of service.
The promotion is limited to Republic’s unnamed GSM network partner. That operator—which Republic aligned itself with last year—is almost surely T-Mobile.
“We came to show the marketplace there was a better way to both lower prices and deliver a better customer experience,” Republic CEO Chris Chuang said in a press release. “With this promotion, we are inviting consumers to see for themselves with no risk. Our philosophy is to build long-term relationships, not through complex contracts and device financing schemes, but through earning their loyalty every day with the value and experience we bring.”
Republic’s plans start at $15 a month for unlimited talk, text and Wi-Fi data, and top out at $90 a month for an additional 10 GB of cellular data. Users can bring their own phones or buy one of the 11 handsets Republic sells, ranging as high as the $700 Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
The MVNO supports more than 17 Android phones from several manufacturers.
Republic launched five years ago and while it doesn’t disclose customer figures, it appears to have gained gradual ground as an affordable alternative to traditional cellular services. The Raleigh, N.C.-based company is one of several Wi-Fi-first players that could eventually prove disruptive for major U.S. mobile network operators—though none has yet to emerge as much of a threat.