Republic Wireless — a unique service that operates off of Sprint’s network but saves money by offloading calls and texts to Wi-Fi whenever possible — launched the Moto X on Thursday for $299 off-contract. It’s a great price (Sprint sells its Moto X outright for $549.99), and it marks the first time a well-reviewed, reasonably high-end phone has been offered by the company. Republic’s also debuting a new set of plans alongside the Moto X that start at $5 for unlimited Wi-Fi calling and texting without any cell service, all the way up to $40 for full-fledged unlimited LTE. Odds are good you haven’t heard of Republic Wireless; its phones aren’t sold in any brick-and-mortar stores, and it only started offering service (initially as a beta with a wait list) a couple of years ago.
