Who Owns REALLY Wireless & What Network Do They Use?

REALLY Wireless is the “the world’s first fully encrypted & private phone service.” Sounds intriguing right? We know. In this day and age it’s imperative that we advertise and provide a real level of security for people with an online presence. It’s estimated that 98% of Americans have a cell phone, and we believe there’s not enough protection on our mobile devices for such a large output of people. 

REALLY Wireless wants to take the initiative into providing people with a cell phone plan that covers their tracks and prevents hackers and scammers from stealing and using your personal online information. But who owns REALLY Wireless and what network do they use for your coverage? Let’s talk about it!

In this article, we plan to discuss the ins and outs of REALLY Wireless while also diving into:

• A Quick Summary on REALLY Wireless
• Who Owns the Carrier
• What Network Does REALLY Wireless Use? Is it a MVNO or MNO?
• Plans, Prices, and Features
• A Few FAQs

A Quick Summary on REALLY Wireless

“The world’s first fully encrypted & private phone service” – we’ve said it in the intro and we will say it again here because it is worth mentioning twice. No other carrier is like REALLY, it’s a first of its kind and for that reason it makes it special. 

Traditional networks like your major wireless networks you’ll see on TV commercials have dead zones, which are areas with no signal, and unsecure setups, REALLY doesn’t. They want to eliminate the digital divide by setting up initiatives like the G.O.A.T Program which is their way to give back by “giving away phone service to those who otherwise wouldn't have access, but also single moms, musicians, artists, teachers, firefighters and those who are seldom recognized.”

REALLY Wireless wants to make it so when you’re signed up under them you will never have to worry about someone trying to steal your valuable online information while you’re out in the world watching your funny cat videos on Instagram or texting your bestie about dinner plans.

Who owns REALLY Wireless?

REALLY Wireless was founded by entrepreneur Adam Lyons, who previously found The Zebra which is an insurance comparison website. REALLY has its home and operations set up in Austin, Texas but is planning to make it so the whole world will be able to utilize the service. 2023 was a big year for REALLY as it was announced they secured $18 million in a seed round led by Polychain and have partnered with T-Mobile to help extend its service to a wider audience.

What Network does REALLY Wireless use?

When you’re shopping for a new cell phone plan one of the first things you do is look to see what type of network connection you’ll have. Traditionally there are two major options in the US: MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, and MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators). MVNOs purchase service access wholesale from one of the MNOs that own infrastructure across the country, which gives customers service at a much lower price.

MVNO - What Should You Know:

A common aspect of MVNOs you should know about is they are more likely to subject users to data deprioritization and throttled speeds. Data deprioritization is “the temporary slowing of data speeds for certain customers in order to give priority to other customers.” Which means that those who are direct customers of the “parent” company will get network priority when you’re in a high traffic area like a concert hall or sports stadium, or when there’s network congestion.

Throttling is also more likely to occur with MVNOs and “the dramatic slowing of your data speeds to the point that it becomes almost unusable.” This will happen when you go over a certain number of gigabytes of data for the month, which is referred to as a “data cap.” You’ll see this number displayed somewhere on your carrier’s website. Your normal speeds will slow down until the start of your next billing cycle.

REALLY Wireless is a big unique as it is a MVNO of T-Mobile but also uses DeWi to provide coverage to customers. But what does that mean? Well…

Using both T-Mobile and their own REALLY Decentralized Wireless (DeWi) structure, you’ll get a bit more juice as this carrier provides service essentially using two networks.

As for T-Mobile, their 5G coverage and access is hailed as the best coverage overall. So you can expect some pretty solid 5G speeds for any MVNO under the T-Mobile umbrella. Their 4G LTE isn’t as widespread as their two major competitors, Verizon and AT&T, but it’s by no means a dealbreaker. 

Though it’s good to note that in the past REALLY has said that “big wireless puts a few big towers in a city which creates super annoying deadzones.” Verizon, AT&T, and even T-Mobile are a part of “centralized wireless” and REALLY is here to make it so you are your own cell tower – that’s where DeWi can help out.

When you sign up for REALLY Wireless you’ll be given a small radio which provides the signal you need to be on the REALLY network and when more people get the radios the signal strength increases. The technical term for this is called Decentralized Wireless or DeWi for short, it’s powered by people for people. No more relying on these big networks with spotty connection, the more people who take part the more we can have strong network reliability all throughout the globe. 

Learn with REALLY: DeWi

Decentralized Wireless is what many are calling the future for all communication networks. It’s a relatively new way to stay connected to strong wireless signals. The main “pro”  of MNOs is their widespread coverage. While well integrated, there can come a few issues including having to build, construct, and maintain cell towers.

DeWi, Decentralized Wireless, instead will sell their network antennas to customers where they will act as their own beacon, or in more technical terms- nodes. Nodes act as either a redistribution path or an end point depending on how many devices and what the connectivity path(s) are. Cell towers and the antennas you’ll see most commonly now are the nodes for our current 4G LTE technology which is the most widespread wireless tech we currently have- (though 5G and our options above are becoming more popular the more we advance). 

And with no central cell tower, hackers will have a much much harder time trying to get into your personal online information, making DeWi the highlight for data privacy and encryption.

See a full breakdown of DeWi from this related blog post: What is DeWi? Our Complete Guide to Decentralized Wireless Networks

Obviously these are big dreams, right now their DeWi network is only available in Austin, but they are ready to expand. They do offer “premium wireless service on the the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network,” and have their own mock up of a coverage map:

Learn more about DeWi here about how you can get started on the movement.

REALLY’s Plans, Prices, and Features

Now that we have some background, let’s take a look at the plan(s), prices, and features of the carrier:

The REALLY Limitless Plan

With the REALLY Limitless Plan you get unlimited high speed data* (50GB of premium data, *full terms apply), talk, and text on the largest and fastest 5G network in the country and a mobile hotspot is included. Fully encrypted calling and can add up to 12 lines with each extra line costing $38/month.

And here are some things not yet available but are coming soon:

• A VPN
• AI-powered privacy assistant for spam calls and texts
• A deadzone destroyer for full signal inside your home

The Features:

While REALLY Wireless offers protection from scammers and is forwarding a new frontier for wireless everywhere it’s good to take a look at their features. If you’re someone who considers themselves to be a traveler, talk to your international friends and family a lot, or are looking for a bit more “perk” with your plan then this section will break down all of that juicy info so you can know what you’re potentially gonna get: 

• Domestic Roaming Data

• REALLY Wireless courtesy of T-Mobile offers domestic roaming capabilities.

• Mexico & Canada Connection

• REALLY Wireless’ service is supported in 200 countries, including Mexico and Canada (rates apply).

• International Connection

• When you land in one of REALLY’s supported countries, you'll receive a text from with available roaming packages:

1 day for $10/5GB or 30 days for $150/40GB. These packages include unlimited talk and text.

• Video Streaming Quality

• REALLY Wireless streams at 720p High Definition courtesy of T-Mobile’s network.

• Streaming Services and Cloud Storage

• REALLY Wireless does not offer these features.

• Device Financing

• REALLY Wireless does not sell phones at this time.

• WiFi Calling

• REALLY Wireless offers WiFi calling, which allows you to send and receive phone calls over a WiFi connection rather than cellular reception.

• Spam Protection and Free Trial

• REALLY offers fully encrypted and private phone service. There’s “no spying, no tracking, no hacking. we never sell your data, because we don’t have it.”

A Few FAQs - What You Need to Know about REALLY Wireless

You’ve read a lot about the carrier, but you still might have a few questions regarding specific things and this section is all about answering them.

• Does the carrier support dual sim, allowing you to use more than one plan on the device?

REALLY Wireless is all set up via eSIM, there’s no purchasing of a physical SIM. Best for dual-SIM capable phones, (which most phones are nowadays). When you sign up they will provide you with an eSIM to download. If that sounds like that could be a confusing process for you, don’t worry as there’s a real person at REALLY ready to help you through the process of downloading and installing your eSIM. Their eSIMs are easy to install and you’ll have access to a private network which makes your internet browsing feel safer already

• Is the network GSM or CDMA?

According to the REALLY FAQs: “GSM (2G) and CDMA (3G) are legacy technologies. We mainly use 5G and 4G in the network, and in the worst cases, 2G and 3G when more recent technologies are not available in a given region.”

• What are some MVNOs that leverage the same towers?

Since REALLY Wireless uses T-Mobile to provide network coverage to its customers you will be on the same network as these other popular MVNOs:

-Mint Mobile

-Metro by T-Mobile

-Google Fi Wireless

-Ultra Mobile

• What if I have a question and need help? What is the best way to reach them?

Although they don’t have physical store locations REALLY has dedicated customer service. AlDoesn't matter when or where -- if you have any trouble with coverage, network nodes, or anything else, you can contact us by email which is [email protected], our website, or through social media.

Wrapping Up

We won’t lie and say REALLY isn’t a commitment, but it’s a movement for a reason, they want to change the mobile industry for the better and if you are concerned with your internet footprint being seen by potential scammers then you won’t find a safer carrier than REALLY. You can always check your data usage before committing to a plan or carrier. That way you can nail down your necessities, dealbreakers, and dealmakers for your future phone plan. REALLY Wireless is definitely the most unique option for a phone plan, but a unique option that can be well worth it in the long run.

Want to compare other carriers?

Really.com helps users compare between features, coverage, price, reviews, and more!

And if you want to compare and contrast REALLY Wireless to over 1,200 other phone plans so you know you’re getting the service that’s right for you, then make sure to check out the REALLY compare page which allows you to look at pricing, coverage, what phone plans are available, current deals and steals, and how you can make the most of your potential phone bill.