Republic Wireless is a new MVNO based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, that uses a combination of Wi-Fi and 3G service leased off, what appears to be, Sprint towers to claim their nationwide coverage. It is trying hard to attract new customers with unlimited data, low monthly fees, and a 30-day moneyback guarantee, however, they do not carry the type of phones that attract new customers. We reported last week that may be all about to change, as Republic Wireless has just added the new Moto X to their lineup, at a very low price of only $299, unsubsidized.
A couple photos leaked to Android Police give us reason to believe that a cheaper Motorola phone will be available on Republic Wireless called the Moto DVX (far right, upper bar) sometime in October. The first image was uploaded from Bandwidth.com (Republic’s parent company), then subsequently removed, edited, and then re-posted the picture with the information, basically, blurred out!
The Moto DVX (model number XT1032) was spotted going through its FCC filing, which generally means it is destined for the U.S. That, coupled with this picture from Republic Wireless certainly add credence that the Moto DVX is arriving at the carrier. Republic’s main “bread and butter” phone was also a Motorola device, the Defy XT, and you can clearly see that it is receiving a price drop – another sign of a new model. All of this is speculation until we hear directly from the carrier, or a more substantiated leak.
A Reddit user found some pages from an overseas website showing sub-$200 prices for the Motorola DVX, with links for photos that have since been removed. It shows an 8GB and 16GB model in black with a restock date of 11/09/2013.
Another user found this picture of a Moto DVX’s plastic shell, which certainly has the design characteristics of the curved Moto X, with a removable back. No specifications are known at this time other than that its a 3G only device. We can only assume that this phone will be manufactured in China, not in the U.S. Motorola factory in Fort Worth, Texas, especially due to the low pricing.
Republic Wireless is certainly keeping to its word about shaking up the U.S. carrier market with low pricing on both devices and plans. It will interesting to keep our eye on this up and coming MVNO.