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Google has lifted the lid on Project Fi – a US-only network of mobile networks that aims to keep smartphone users connected to the strongest one closest to them.
It has partnered with the Sprint and T-Mobile networks in the US, and as the user moves around, Project Fi will connect them to the fastest available network at their location, whether it’s one of more than one million free Wi-Fi spots, Sprint or T-Mobile.
A Google spokesperson confirmed to PCR the network is US-only and there are no plans to bring it to the UK.
Google’s three focus areas are as follows: Helping the user get the highest quality connection, enabling easy communication across networks and devices (so a call will "seamlessly" transition from Wi-Fi to cell networks as the person is talking if they leave an area of Wi-Fi coverage) and to make the service experience as simple as possible.
Google is offering one pricing plan with Fi. For $20 a month the user gets the basics (talk, text, Wi-Fi tethering, and international coverage in 120-plus countries), then they will be charged a flat $10 per GB for cellular data while in the US and abroad. Google is also promising credit for unused data, so if the user pays $30 for 3GB and only use 1.4GB in a month, they will get $16 back.
"Project Fi is a program that introduces new ideas through a fast and easy wireless experience," said Nick Fox, VP of Communications Products.
"Similar to our Nexus hardware program, Project Fi enables us to work in close partnership with leading carriers, hardware makers, and all of you to push the boundaries of what’s possible. By designing across hardware, software and connectivity, we can more fully explore new ways for people to connect and communicate."
A Project Fi Early Access Program will invite people to sign up for the service. Project Fi will be available on the Nexus 6, which Google developed with Motorola and is the first smartphone that supports the hardware and software to work with its service.
