New Stress-Free Phone Carrier Caters To The Social Media Generation
Courtesy of Wing
How many of us are still on our parents' data plan? Most millennials and Gen Z-ers rely on their birth-givers to provide for their cell phone usage, and everyone knows how active we've been on our phones recently. Of course, we want to take responsibility at some point, but who wants to deal with data charges and steep monthly bills? Telecom companies have deliberately been boring, confusing, and expensive, until now.
Enter Wing, the new telecom company that's changing the game by catering to US. FINALLY.
Founded by a group of young and hip dudes like Ilan Yarden and former CEO of Elite Daily David Arabov, Wing provides simple and stress-free cellular data plans that can be purchased and accessed directly from their app, which is perfect for twenty-somethings who prefer to do everything from the comfort of their iPhones.
Former Elite Daily Managing Editor Greg Dybec and comedian and YouTuber Joe Santagato (some of Wing's other founders) told us why people are making the switch from the large corporations to their Telecom startup.
Bonus: they also gave us tips on how to take risks and start our own companies in industries we've never dreamed of.
"Wing is a new, digital-first phone carrier," Dybec says. "Yes, a phone carrier like Verizon or AT&T, except we're here to shake up a monopolized industry that is in much need of being shaken up. Wing is here to simplify the phone carrier experience while saving people money and stress."
It's true. Wing offers all the same premium features as the major carriers, like unlimited plans, international data in 135+ countries, family plans, compatibility with all the newest phones; plus, they use the same cell towers as the big carriers, so you get the same great nationwide coverage.
Wing offers flexible data plans that charge you only for the data you use, and not for anything extra.
"Our average bill is around $34 per month and everything is managed through an easy-to-use app," Dybec says. "The best part is, we handle the entire switch for you, so you never have to deal with your ex-carrier. No calling in and no wasting time in a store. We even get you out of your contract with your current carrier at no cost. The whole thing takes about ten minutes and poof, you're on Wing."
Wing aims to be a carrier that cares for the customer, not the customer's money.
"We created Wing because, like so many people, we were sick and tired of dealing with our phone carriers," Dybec says. "We were tired of getting overcharged; of not being able to understand our phone bills; of wasting time on the phone with customer service robots; of going into phone stores that are worse than the DMV. We use our phones for just about everything, so we figured there had to be a simpler way to get phone service and deal with your carrier."
From left to right: Ilan Yarden, David Arabov, and Greg Dybec.
David Arabov, the founder and CEO of Wing, was able to recognize that the telecom industry was in need of a modern makeover, Dybec tells us — so the team came together and started building what they imagined would be the ideal phone carrier.
"We started with a list of things we hated about the major carriers like Verizon and AT&T and then figured out ways to improve those issues."
"The overall goal is to be a phone carrier that is actually nice and cares about its users — not just another corporate giant that takes advantage of people because they know their options are limited," Dybec says. "We're happy to be the underdog and we're happy to go head-to-head with the giants who have monopolized the industry. We see ourselves as that modern alternative in the telecom space."
The authenticity of its customer service is another attractive aspect of Wing.
"There's nothing efficient about calling your phone carrier and listening to hold music for twenty minutes before speaking to someone who can’t help you with your issue."
"Text and social media may not be the traditional ways to communicate with customer support, but it's definitely the preferred way," Dybec adds.
"We allow our customers to contact us in any way they'd like," adds Santagato. "Phone call, text, tweet, DM, you name it. If you're not comfortable talking on the phone, we will text you through the entire process and answer any questions you have along the way. Also, it won't be automated responses. These are real people texting you in real time and walking you through every step of the way."
"We decided to make Wing because we decided it was time to modernized the telecom industry."
As telecom companies go, Wing focuses on marketing to millennials. No family plan commercials to be found. However, they are a company that can work for just about everyone.
"Right now, we have users in every single state, from the millennial with an iPhone X to a grandma with a flip phone. We have people on unlimited plans and others who barely use 1GB of data a month," says Dybec. "Since we offer so many flexible plans and pass our savings onto our users, we're an ideal choice for a range of people across the country — not just millennials in major metro cities."
Santagato also says the service isn't just for young people.
"I don't think we are the 'millennial's telecom service' because our service is for everyone," he says "In fact, our service suits the older generations more than you think. The majority of the older generation isn't addicted to social media or their cell phones like we are. So, their phone bills would naturally be much less than a millennial's who is on their phone all day. My mother's phone bill is around $20/mo. She used to pay four times that much!"
So how exactly did Dybec and Santagato get into the telecom industry?
As one of the founding members of Elite Daily, Dybec is no stranger to building something from the ground up.
"Elite Daily was a great learning experience and a lot of fun, but Wing feels like an appropriate step up in terms of the challenge and growth potential," he says.
"We didn't have much media experience when we started Elite Daily, but we truly had zero experience in telecom when starting Wing. I didn’t even know phones had SIM cards. But that's what gives us an edge. We're not stuck in our ways and we don't care what the industry standard is. We're here to offer a fresh perspective and to learn."
As a content creator and comedian, Santagato shifted gears into the entirely new lane of entrepreneurship.
"To be honest, it wasn't that much of a switch. I dropped out of college to pursue something that I believed would pay off in the long run. Entering the world of entrepreneurship is essentially the same thing," Santagato says.
"You make sacrifices and take risks because you truly believe it will eventually pay off."
Both Dybec and Santagato made mid-career industry changes, a feat that scares even the bravest of us. But they cited their grit and enthusiasm as being the driving force of their success.
"Changing industries is exciting, especially if you're on an entrepreneurial path, whether you're a founder, early member of a team, or someone who enjoys start-up environments," Dybec says. "The best skills are transferable across industries, so why not switch it up? Nobody wants to stop learning new things and you're allowed to be interested in a bunch of different things. It's not like if you like pizza you can't like sushi."
To that, Santagato adds that he's a firm believer in that everyone should be an entrepreneur to some degree nowadays. "Anything can go viral or become popular overnight. Consistency and dedication are the only things you need to succeed. If something is great, people will find it."
And people are, very quickly, finding out about Wing.