Google has unveiled its very own mobile network and it's called
'Project Fi'. Launching in the US to begin with it's an experimental
attempt to create an umbrella network that'll only charge you for the
data you use.
It's only available in beta at the moment and will only be available to Nexus 6 customers as they're the only people that have a phone compatible with how 'Project Fi' works.
Still confused? We were, so here's how it works:
'Project Fi' can switch between WiFi and data seamlessly.
Google
has partnered up with two of the largest mobile networks in the US;
Sprint and T-Mobile. That means that people with a 'Project Fi' phone
will be able to use both network's data. Imagine it as being able to
seamlessly switch between O2, EE and Three all while on a single
contract.
There's more though. Google will also give you instant
access to over a million free WiFI hotspots so the phone will be
constant searching for the fastest source of data, whether it's a
network or WiFI. It'll then switch over as and when it needs to without
you having to do a thing.
'Project Fi' will only charge you for the data you use.
With
fixed data allowances there are always going to be situations when you
find yourself locked into a contract where you'll either constantly end
up going over your data allowance, or in some cases, going under.
To
combat that, 'Project Fi' offers you a set contract of say $20 per
month for unlimited calls, texting, WiFi and then 1GB of data.
If
you end up using only 500MB of data that month, Google will refund you
the difference. Same applies to its 2GB, 3GB plans and so on.
'Project Fi' is an experiment, nothing more.
This
is the important bit. The fact that Google has persuaded two major
networks to share each other's coverage can not have been an easy task.
They're obviously competitors so the idea that they'd happily roll this
out on future phones is, well, optimistic.
Then there's the
problem with the smartphones themselves. Not only will you need the
Nexus 6 (thanks to its dual-antenna capabilities) but you'll also need a
special SIM that can work across multiple networks. Both of these
things are rare in smartphones today so you certainly wouldn't be able
to just switch over tomorrow using your iPhone 6 or HTC One M9.
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