Republic Wireless is going to let its users to make and receive international calls to any phone, free of charge.
Republic Wireless is a subsidiary of Bandwidth.com whose growing Internet infrastructure is responsible for powering portions of many of the most popular VoIP services, including Google Voice, Skype, Twilio, and others.
Republic Wireless taps into Bandwidth’s infrastructure to offer a phone carrier that’s a WiFi/cellular hybrid. After signing up, Republic sells you a special Android phone that automatically connects to your Wifi networks whenever possible and routes your call via VoIP which is far less expensive for them than traditional carrier minutes.
If your phone can’t find any Wifi networks to connect to, it switches over to Sprint’s mobile network. And because much of your usage will be routed over Wifi rather than a cellular connection, Republic can offer its service at a rate that’s much cheaper than the likes of Verizon or AT&T: it’s only $19 a month; Though you can’t use too many cellular minutes.
According to the latest reports, Bandwidth.com has managed to acquire its own country code which it will be assigning to Republic Wireless.
How will it work
Republic’s country code will be for free international calling and it will work similarly to the way other international calls work, just without the fees. If you initiate an international call from your phone over Wifi, it’ll be free of charge, no matter who in the world you call
And when any of your contacts abroad want to call you, they just type in Republic’s ‘country’ code, 883-5110, followed by your phone number, and that incoming call will be free to both parties as well.
Note: Republic has clarified that if a country has its own country fees, those would still apply.
In order for these country codes to work, they have to be recognized by the various carriers around the world. If, for example, one of your contacts lives in the UK and is on Orange, and they call your Republic Wireless number, that call will only be free if Orange has opted into supporting Republic’s international code. And there’s no rule mandating these international carriers to sign on board. But the carriers may well add Republic support.
Google is integrating the Republic international code into Gmail’s phone feature. And Republic Wireless says additional partners will be coming soon.
In the mean time, the Company has also launched this site where carriers can sign up to support Republic’s International Country Code.
To Reserve your 8-digit international number, visit here.
