FreedomPop officially launches free phone service, with HTC EVO Design
There was a time when the only way to get decent cellular service in the United States was to chain yourself to a major provider with a lengthy contract. This model is slowly starting to change, as prepaid continues to catch on and more folks are ditching contracts for good. What if there was also a way to ditch phone service payments altogether?
We know that sounds a bit like crazy talk, but that’s exactly what FreedomPop is attempting to do with its brand new free phone service.
When a user signs up and buys the EVO Design from FreedomPop, they gain access to 200 voice minutes, 500 text messages and 500MB of monthly data.
Back in June, the free data provider announced its plans to release a no-cost phone service before the summer was out. While they missed their deadline by a little over a week, today the company officially kicks off the free service’s beta program by offering up the refurbished HTC EVO Design for $99.
The company also plans to add several other handsets to the mix in the near future, including the HTC EVO 4G.
When a user signs up and buys the EVO Design from FreedomPop, they gain access to 200 voice minutes, 500 text messages and 500MB of monthly data – all for the price of nothing beyond the initial cost of the handset.
What if you find yourself quickly burning through the allotted minutes or texts? No worries, as the company offers unlimited voice and text messaging for $10.99. No word on expanding data in their press release, though in the past FreedomPop has mentioned the possibility of tacking on extra data as well.
How is FreedomPop able to pull off these ultra-low costs? The big secret is that the company utilizes VOIP technology and sends all your calls and texts through Sprint’s network, as opposed to using traditional voice calling technology. This results in big savings for FreedomPop, which they then pass down to their customers.
Bottom-line, FreedomPop’s phone service could be perfect for those that do little talking, texting and mostly surf the web through Wi-Fi. The only true catch is that you’ll want to live in an area with solid Sprint coverage.
For more details or to sign up for service, head on over to FreedomPop’s official sign up page!
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 1, 2013 – FreedomPop, the free wireless internet company, today on its one year anniversary launched its beta of the world’s first completely free mobile service with free voice, text and data. The company will give users a guaranteed 500 MBs of data, 500 text messages, and 200 anytime voice minutes free every month for life. FreedomPop will also offer heavier users unlimited voice and unlimited texting for just $10.99 per month with no contracts or commitments – 80 to 90 percent less than similar plans offered by large carriers, saving consumers over $1,000 per year.
“FreedomPop is changing the mobile market forever with the sole intent of bringing better value to consumers and increasing accessibility,” said Stephen Stokols, FreedomPop’s CEO and co-founder. “FreedomPop’s mission is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, convenient and essential communication services. With this launch, we’ve just taken our largest step to date towards delivering on this objective.”
The FreedomPop Phone service will initially be available on the HTC Evo Design smartphone, which will sell for at a 65 percent discount for just $99. Later this year, additional popular Android handsets will be offered.
“The historically staid mobile operator industry is not only ripe for disruption; it is being disrupted today by creative pricing and service delivery strategies,” said Rich Karpinski, senior analyst with Yankee Group. “Combining more economical voice over IP-over-cellular technology with emerging freemium business models such as these provides choice for customers looking for mobile service alternatives while pressuring incumbent carriers to respond as well.”
The FreedomPop Phone comes a year after FreedomPop launched and took the mobile market by storm, offering free 4G over mobile hotspots. Led by outstanding consumer demand and organic growth, FreedomPop has demonstrated the commercial viability of its freemium model, while giving away more than half a billion free MBs of data to date. The company has also raised over $16 million in financing it is putting toward disruption of the $200 billion mobile phone service market where consumers currently pay over $1,500 per year on average.
“A user paying $1,500 per year for mobile services today can save well over $1,000 per year for the same plan with FreedomPop,” Stokols added. “That is real value, real savings and a real meteor to the current market dynamics.”
To sign up for access of FreedomPop’s Phone now go to FreedomPop.com/phone.
About FreedomPop
FreedomPop provides disruptive mobile services so that no one is left off the “connected grid.” Founded in 2011, FreedomPop is rewriting the rules of the American telecoms industry and is backed by Mangrove Capital, DCM and Skype founder Niklas Zennstom’s Atomico. The company offers a suite of devices, services, and innovative social sharing and incentive benefits for mobile and home internet access, providing consumers access to free high-speed Internet and mobile phone services nationwide. FreedomPop launched its free broadband service on Clearwire’s 4G network earlier this year and went live with Sprint in April 2013. Visit www.FreedomPop.com for more information.
FreedomPop is on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/FreedomPop and Twitter http:twitter.com/freedompop4G.
Media Inquiries for FreedomPop:
Paul Brady
Consort Partners PR
Email: freedompop@consortpartners.com
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