[Kulluminatii]

Hello all, I've had an idea swirling around in my head for a few days now, and yesterday I decided to go ahead and go with it. I sent an email to Republic Wireless making a case for why they should look into BlackBerry for their future phone releases. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Republic Wireless, it is a service provider in the U.S that uses a system they call "Hybrid Calling" where calls (as well as texts) can be sent over wifi when available, and when it's not, you are able to use regular cell towers to constantly stay connected. This reliance on wifi, and trust in their users that they will try to use wifi whenever possible, allows them to offer extremely low prices, ranging from $5 for wifi only to $40 for 4G and unlimited everything (see here). Republic Wireless recently exited beta and became available to the masses with the release of the Moto X (with a custom ROM to allow RW's service to work) and has garnered much critical acclaim. You'd be hard pressed to find to a negative review of the company. They definitely have a positive perception in the US, and with two more phones releasing this year (both cheaper alternatives to the $299 Moto X) I expect them to do very well this year.

Where does BlackBerry come into all of this? Well, we all know that BlackBerry's perception here in the States is poor at best, with little sign in the near future of it changing. A large part of the blame lies with BlackBerry for having incredibly poor advertising and marketing savvy. They have for the most part failed at introducing BB10 to the masses. But the fault isn't entirely on BlackBerry, they have had little to no help from the cell carriers in the States. With ill-informed employees spewing half-truths, and even outright lies about BB it's hard to imagine how BlackBerry could have fared any better than they have to date.

But imagine if those carriers had spent a fraction of the money they spent advertising Samsung and Apple phones on BlackBerry? And if that was an issue, then at the very least ensuring their employees were educated on the new BB10 OS to be able to give their customers adequate and non-biased information on a phone that very well could meet their needs. BlackBerry could be in an entirely different situation right now, both financially and in terms of public perception of the company.

There is no point dwelling on the past, however. It's what is done now that will shape the future of BlackBerry. I sent the following suggestion to Republic Wireless:

My suggestion is for you at RW to consider adding a BlackBerry 10 smartphone to your lineup. I know it is easier said than done, and a lot of time & money goes into each release, but I believe RW and BlackBerry would be a perfect combination. I'm sure you know that BlackBerry is going through a rough period right now, and up to this point have failed to regain lost market share from Apple and Android...but this is because of BlackBerry's failure to advertise and market efficiently, not BlackBerry 10 itself. The OS they have created is something special, and with the recent release of 10.2.1 it is finally starting to show off some of the potential it has. Before the Z10, I was an avid Android fan (still am) and a huge fan of my Galaxy S3. But once I tried out the Z10 (my first BlackBerry) I was hooked. I've been a fan ever since. Just a FYI, I'm currently typing this message with ease on my Z10!

Now I wouldn't consider suggesting this if it didn't make sense from a financial perspective. BlackBerry is in a position where they have little to no leverage. They have a large unsold stock of BB10 devices sitting in warehouses which means that you could have the phones at cost, if not below it. This translates to huge savings to your current and future consumers, and I know of quite a few people who would love to leave their current carrier if they could switch to a carrier which has the BlackBerry device they desire. As much flack as BlackBerry receives for their numerous missteps, they have received just as much acclaim for their support of developers and catering to every whim of their carriers. I'm confident BlackBerry will do their best to provide you with the tools to allow RW's service to work on their phones flawlessly. Partnering with Republic Wireless will give BlackBerry some much needed positive publicity and Republic Wireless a diehard Crackberry fanbase that would love to support an "underdog" just like their very own BlackBerry.

I hope this idea will at the very least be considered. I plan on posting about it on the Crackberry forums to gauge interest and drum up support!

I received this response a few hours later:


Now this could mean absolutely nothing, and even if it did mean something it could lead to absolutely nothing. However, I have a feeling if the two parties (RW and BB) got in contact with each other, a deal could be struck that would benefit them both...along with us, the consumers. I'd love to leave my current provider, but even if I was able to pay the early termination fees, the $299 for a Moto X is still very steep...as it probably is for many people. Plus, as appealing as the Moto X is, I don't know if it could replace my Z10. The Z10 is going for next to nothing on new 2 year contracts, RW could potentially offer the Z10 for $50-$100 and have it pre-loaded with Snap and other goodies to ease people onto the platform. Imagine how many BB10 devices could be sold if it was priced competitively and it's features were showcased by it's carrier. From people looking to buy their first smartphone, to budget conscious consumers there will be many who would be interested in a sub $100 device; even if it is a BlackBerry. I'd also like to see Republic Wireless offer the Q10 and Z30 as well, the perfect trifecta of BBs - but the Z10 would be the best phone to start with if RW couldn't release them all at the same time.

BlackBerry has been behind the curve for the past several years now. Maybe it's time they finally take the initiative to put themselves ahead of the curve? Republic Wireless represents the future of cell service providers, and it would be a shame if no attempt was made to be part of that future now. BlackBerry has nothing to lose at this point, but quite a bit to gain, or regain, depending on how you look at it. Please post your thoughts on this, and opinion or constructive criticism is very welcome. Also, if you are interested, or would be interested in joining Republic Wireless if they supported BlackBerry, please post it! People at RW will be monitoring this thread and I am sure the possibility of gaining loyal fans will be very appealing!

This post has become much more lengthier than I had originally intended, so I'm sorry for that! Here's a TL;DR for the people who had a heart attack when they opened this thread.

TL;DR

• Republic Wireless is a new service provider with tremendous upside & public perception
• BlackBerry and RW would be the perfect mix. RW can help BB regain relevance in the US
• I contacted RW, Tiggs responded with her sending my suggestion to the team that handles these type of things
• Republic Wireless could offer Z10 at a steep discount to entice new people to their service and to the BB platform
• Both BB and RW gain massive critical acclaim for their partnership**
• BlackBerry is back in action and on their way to reclaiming their throne.**

**Note, last two bullet points I may have gotten a little ahead of myself.

[Elite1]

Nice work. Hopefully pans out.

[Kulluminatii]

Thank you! I hope it pans out as well, it'd be nice to see BB10 sort of "re-introduced" to the U.S. market under Republic Wireless. I know when they released the Moto X tons of reviews were released from various sites praising what they were able to do. I'd like to see media sites give BB10 another try now that 10.2.1 is out. I've sent a link to this thread to Tiggs (the person from Republic Wireless that I've been talking to) and she has passed it on to the team responsible for these kinds of decisions. I hope that if they see enough support here, it'll make their decision a little easier.

A few bits of information on Republic Wireless that I think would be of interest to potential customers:

-Republic Wireless's cell coverage uses the Sprint Network, but it's also one of the few MVNOs that is also able to utilize Verizon's network when unable to use Sprint's.

-Republic Wireless is no-contract.

-Let's say you choose the $10/mo plan (unlimited talk/text over wifi AND cell) and were able to fill your data needs through wifi at home/work/school/etc. But a vacation was coming up in a week where you would need to have cellular data access available at all times. You could easily switch to the $25 or $40 plan for the x amount of days that you plan on using it and then switch back. Your bill would be pro-rated and you would only be charged for how much you've used during that time ; let's say $14 for that month instead of the regular $10. This feature by far my favorite and one of the reasons why I'd like to jump to Republic Wireless when given the chance.

I'll keep this thread up-to-date as soon as I hear anything back from Republic Wireless. In the meantime, please post your thoughts! IF Republic Wireless were to offer just one BlackBerry phone, do you believe the Z10 would be the best choice? Or would you rather see them go with the Q10 or Z30? Do you think positive press from a release with one carrier (RW) would have other carriers reassess their opinion of BB10, and perhaps have them advertise the platform more?