FInding your FIt with Google FI
FInding your FIt with Google FI
Google has been finding innovative ways to remake industries with technology for years, and it's no surprise that they're focusing on the wireless and mobile carriers. Called Project Fi, which is short for Wi-Fi, Google launched its own wireless services in 2015 which continues to offer competitive pricing and services to mobile users all around the world. Project Fi offers a completely unique wireless package with no contracts, no "surprise" charges, no add-on fees for extra devices or wi-fi tethering (using your device as a wi-fi hotspot), and no penalties for switching to another service if you're not satisfied with Fi. It's payment plan options are simple: it's $20 for unlimited domestic calls and texts, unlimited international texts, and wi-fi tethering. Each gigabyte of data is $10 per month, and if you don't use all of your data, it rolls over as credit onto next month's data plan. Even if you travel outside of the United States, you still pay the same data rate in over 120 countries listed on the Project Fi website.
You can even keep your old number when switching to Project Fi. Since plans are paid a month in advance, you are only paying for the amount of data that you choose. Users are able to monitor their data usage and see a break-down of their bill right on their phones - in a very user-friendly and simple view. Complementary alerts warn customers if they are nearing their chosen data limit for the month. If any issues pop up, customer service is available 24/7 with no automated machine menus.
There are some limitations, however, to Project Fi's wireless capabilities. Fi is currently only available on Google phones: the Nexus 6, 6P, and 5X models in a variety of sizes from 16 to 128 GB. There is some support for other devices like tablets, but you would need to purchase a SIM card to use data-sharing. On the other hand, along with a monthly payment for service, you can also purchase a new Nexus phone and pay for it month-by-month for as low as $8.29 per month.
Project Fi is technically a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). It works by accessing other carriers' towers and choosing the fastest network for your device to connect to. You should obviously check the coverage map before taking the leap into faster service, but unless you live in the wilderness, you're almost always guaranteed at least a 2G or 3G connection. People who live in large cities would benefit the most, then, with access to purely 4G LTE networks. In addition, some customers experienced pauses in voice calls while traveling between different wi-fi networks. Although not all calls experience "pauses" while transitioning between networks, there is still a possibility that this could happen. Project Fi continues to improve its network quality so that users no longer have to deal with inflated costs that mainstream carriers offer or deal with dreaded data throttling practices which companies sometimes get away with, although illegally. (Data throttling is also known as "bandwidth throttling", and happens when wireless carriers deliberately cut the amount of data you are able to access with your device, typically in reaction to high data uses from that particular device or the general area.) If you're looking to save money on an average or minimal use of data, Project Fi is a great way to go. However, if you consume large amounts of data per month, the costs begin to outweigh the benefits. And lastly, Project Fi could just be a temporary experiment from Google. Even so, I think it's safe to say that we can expect a bright future in the mobile world where Project Fi is concerned.
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Check out these links for more great information on Project Fi:
- http://www.androidguys.com/2016/01/12/its-time-for-you-to-ditch-t-mobile-att-sprint-and-verizon-save-money-with-googles-project-fi/
- http://www.engadget.com/2015/12/04/google-project-fi/
- http://www.starkinsider.com/2016/03/google-project-fi-nexus-5x-amazing-deal.html
The Official Site: https://fi.google.com/about/
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