It’s known for a while that Google is planning to enter the wireless market with its very own wireless service to take on the giants like Verizon and AT&T but now it’s official. Google has officially announced their very own wireless service called Google Project Fi. So we’re going to go ahead and take a look at just how it works, how much it costs and how it compares to the other wireless carriers currently on the market here on PhoneDog.
Google Project Fi is now officially a thing. It’s Google’s very own carrier service that works in partnership with leading carriers and leading hardware manufacturers to create all new ways for people to connect and communicate with each other. Google Fi works in conjunction with T-Mobile and Sprint and their 4G LTE networks and will allow you to seamlessly talk and text at the same time on both Wi-Fi and 4G connections.
If you’re at home talking with somebody on the phone and you want to go to a place with no Wi-Fi connection, you’ll automatically be transferred and connected to a 4G network and your call will not be disrupted, which is super cool. And Google has also mentioned that they have verified over a million free Wi-Fi hotspots for your convenience.
Your phone number will also entirely exist entirely on the cloud so you can talk and text with your number on almost any phone, any tablet, or even any computer. So say if you misplaced your phone, you lose it in your couch or something, you’ll always stay connected. You can always just use another device.
In terms of just how much it costs, Project Fi offers one simple plan at one simple price with 24/7 support. For $20 a month, you get unlimited talk, unlimited texting and unlimited Wi-Fi tethering, as well as international coverage in 120+ countries. They charge $10 for 1GB of data here in the US and abroad. So 1GB of data is $10, 2GB of data is $20, 3GB of data is $30 and so on. What I think is cool is that you pay only for the data you use and you’ll actually get credited for the data that you do not use in that particular month that you’re paying for. So I absolutely love that.
Project Fi is on an invite-only system right now but it’s just the beginning. And it’s only available with the Nexus 6 currently but it will be compatible with more phones in the near future. You can request an invite by going to fi.google.com or by clicking on the link in the description down below. You can also view all the coverage that Google Fi offers by going to fi.google.com/coverage and you can also check it out down below on the description bar but just essentially enter your own address in the search bar and it shows you all the coverage in your area. Generally speaking, if you live inside the city, you’ll get coverage perfectly fine. But if you live outside the city, it gets pretty scarce.
If we compare Google’s plan with the other carrier giants, we’ll see that generally speaking, the Google Fi plan is cheaper. Verizon’s cheapest option is a 1GB package with unlimited texting and unlimited voice for $60/month with a traditional contract; or $45/month with an Edge installment plan when you also buy a smartphone. AT&T’s comparable 1GB plan is priced at $65/month or $50/month if you are a month-to-month customer. Sprint offers its own plans between $50 and $85 if you pay for the full price of a smartphone as well. It’s about $85 for new and existing customers who will also sign a two-year contract. And Sprint also doesn’t include a mobile hotspot functionality. The last major carrier is T-Mobile, which has a plan for 1GB of data and unlimited talking and text, and it’s about $50/month.
Now keep in mind, these are the base level plans for each carriers. So there might be some additional fees, there might also be some promotions that can get you a cheaper price. The price could be cheaper, it could be a little bit more. Just keep that in mind and make sure to do your research if you are thinking about signing with one of these carriers.
One thing that I do want to mention is that if you do go with Project Fi, you will need to buy the Google Nexus 6. So definitely make sure to calculate that into your budget. But with that said, that is the general gist of what Google Project Fi consists of. Let us know down below in the comments if you do plan on signing up with Google’s all new wireless service. If you do, let us know and if you don’t, let us know why you’re decided to stay with your current service provider.