Following about a month’s worth of some pretty incredible hype, Google has announced its own mobile carrier. Called Fi, Google is hoping to introduce new ideas and help get the industry moving in a better direction. I am sure many of you reading this are dissatisfied with your mobile carrier, and if so, Fi is going to be well-worth investigating.
Because Google doesn’t have its own cell phone towers, it’s teaming up with both Sprint and T-Mobile to help deliver its traffic. The neat thing about this is that whichever company’s towers a user is connected to is probably going to be invisible – the phone will simply connect to whichever one is providing the stronger signal at that particular time.
Fi’s has a stock $20 plan which includes unlimited domestic calls and text, unlimited international texts, low-cost international calls, Wi-Fi tethering, and coverage in over 120 countries. Beyond that $20, you can pay $10 per 1GB of data.
There are two things that truly set Fi apart from the competition. First, if you happen to use less than the amount of data you paid for, you will be refunded the slack in the form of credit. For example, if you paid $20 for 2GB of data but only used 1.3GB, $7 will be carried over to your next bill. Further, roaming fees for data is effectively a thing of the past: it’s $10/GB regardless of which of these 120+ countries you’re in. If you ever travel outside of your home country, you’re probably well-aware of just how major that is.
There’s also the nice perk that Fi doesn’t have an annual contract. You could purchase a phone outright from the Google Play store, activate it on Fi, and enjoy a contract-free experience that actually seems to work in favor of the customer.
If you’re not sure if Fi could save you money, you can take advantage of a calculator on the Fi plan page.
Currently, Fi is in a beta stage, and it requires a Nexus 6 to join. Interestingly, you’re required to sign up for an invite with an @gmail.com address, even if you happen to have a different email address that runs through Google’s Apps platform. After signing in, the site will tell you whether you’d have access to Fi from where you live.
I don’t know about you guys, but this is what I’d consider to be a major move by Google, and potentially a very important one. It’s worth noting that Ting has existed for a number of years offering users similar goals and perks, but for whatever reason, it hasn’t enjoyed as much success as I think it’s deserved (despite the fact it’s a Canadian company that doesn’t offer Canadian service…). With a backing name like Google, though, it’s pretty much guaranteed that people will be paying attention to Fi.
Rob founded Techgage in 2005 to be an 'Advocate of the consumer', focusing on fair reviews and keeping people apprised of news in the tech world. Catering to both enthusiasts and businesses alike; from desktop gaming to professional workstations, and all the supporting software.