MVNO Helio Rises From The Dead..at 128kbps Speeds -

Those of you who've been around a while might remember the MVNO Helio, one of countless doomed attempts to disrupt the wireless market. Helio was ultimately one of Earthlink's many pet project attempts to bypass incumbent ISPs (alongside municipal Wi-Fi and BPL). Earthlink backed away from the wreckage of Helio back in 2007, but now it appears that the wireless effort has arisen from the dead.

Ubi Telecom, a mobile carrier that markets to Korean-speaking Americans, has acquired the Helio assets and will relaunch it as yet another MVNO running over the Sprint network (with a Verizon roaming agreement).

The new Helio is offering users unlimited text, voice and data for $30 a month -- but will cap all data usage at 128 kbps, a decidedly retro speed in line with the company's antiquated history.

Users can bring their own phone, but you're limited to bringing phones compatible with Sprint, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, or Assurance Wireless. If you want to buy a phone, you're limited to a Galaxy S4 for $299, Galaxy S III for $249, Galaxy Epic 4G for $49, or a Kyocera Kona flip phone for $89.
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