Google Just Became a Mobile Phone Operator With Project Fi
Google today announced that it is entering the MVNO mobile operator market with Project Fi. The service will use Sprint and T-Mobile’s network, combined with Wi-Fi, to create a single large, uninterrupted carrier.
First, on the downside: Project Fi is currently available by invitation only. This will also only work if you have a Nexus 6, so it excludes a lot of people right away. Assuming you’ve received an invite and have an approved phone, the service costs $ 20 per month, or $ 10 per month for every GB of data you use. You only pay for the data you use, so you don’t have to worry about redundancies or upgrades to save money.
The coverage area (which you can view here ) will be co-located on the Sprint and T-Mobile networks, transferring to whichever carrier has the best service in a specific area. While that will certainly help, none of the carriers have enough coverage for the countryside, so don’t expect to join forces and form a giant like Verizon. However, you can get much better service in areas where T-Mobile and Sprint are already on their own.
The service includes free Wi-Fi tethering, international roaming to over 120 countries, and 24/7 phone support from Google (which if you’ve ever got support from Google, you know it’s a huge deal). You can read more about the plan details here or read a Google blog post here . While the service is only available for the Nexus 6, it is likely to expand to other devices in the near future. This is pretty much a beta, meanwhile, so be careful when switching if you rely heavily on your phone.
Project Fi | Google via Android Police