Public Mobile Has a 3G Network Right Now But They've Been Keeping it a Secret

Public Mobile has had its 2G network for a while now and plenty of cheap, talk-and-text dumb phones like the Kyocera Tomo and ZTE E520. But the discount wireless carrier startup knows that growth potential lies in tapping into real smartphones with mobile data plans on at least 3G networks.

Well, as it turns out, Public Mobile actually does have a 3G network—they just haven't told us yet.

"We've actually rolled out a 3G network," CFO Jim Hardy said at the Scotia Capital Telecom and Tech 2012 Conference today. "It's completed. It's in testing now."

So why keep it a secret all this time? The answer to that is unclear, but it's likely because the company was holding out to secure some proper Android-powered devices—which it seems to have done now. Public customers and curious consumers will be happy to know that Android smartphones, with price tags for $200 and under, will be available by the end of November—3G data and all.

Recently, a leaked internal memo revealed that Public Mobile has 150,000 subscribers and hates Rogers.