Got your Project Fi Invite? Thinking about getting one?

[El Presidente]

http://phandroid.com/2015/04/22/google-project-fi-official/

Is that of interest to any folks over the pond?

Aside from getting cash back for MB's you don't use, it doesn't look that good and seems a bit pricey tbh.

 

[Crashdamage]

My wife has a Nexus 6 and loves it.

$20/mo + $10/GB for data and payback for any unused data. That's kinda pricey? Are you nuts?

The map says we are in an excellent coverage area. We've had T-Mobile for over 17 years with good service and Kansas City is Sprint's hometown. T-Mobile 4G LTE is pretty quick around here, almost always leaves Verizon and AT&T in the dust. We also have T-Mobile's new 700MHz A-Block Band 12 LTE service. Sprint has their Spark LTE Advanced service up and running.

And, we've had Google Fiber Gigabit internet + TV service for 1 1/2 years and the service has been great. So I have no doubt that Google can pull this off.

Seems like all things considered we are absolutely prime candidates for Fi. So of course I put in a request for an invitation for her. I bet we get it pretty quick.

 

[El Presidente]

My wife has a Nexus 6 and loves it.

$20/mo + $10/GB for data and payback for any unused data. That's kinda pricey? Are you nuts?

Maybe my perception of data pricing in the US is a little skewed. I thought there loads of smaller networks piggybacking on the larger networks and charging much less?

Also, don't T-Mo do an unlimited everything deal for $50?

 

[Crashdamage]

T-Mobile is $50 is for 1GB of data. Unlimited is $80. If you use a lotta data Fi might not be a great deal. For a lot of people it should be cheaper than what they have and better service. It should be terrific service actually, but at a prepaid MVNO kinda price.

 

[KOLIO]

Maybe my perception of data pricing in the US is a little skewed. I thought there loads of smaller networks piggybacking on the larger networks and charging much less?

Also, don't T-Mo do an unlimited everything deal for $50?

The MVNO's typically,but not always,have certain caveats,such as being throttled at a certain speed (Cricket @8mbps).
Virtually non-existent Customer Service,limited roaming/etc......

The plan you mention from T-Mobile is unlimited,but,only 1GB@ 4GLTE speeds,afterwards you're subject to throttling to 2-3G speeds,which,from my personal experience,is,for all practical purposes,unusable.
YMMV w/speeds depending on traffic/equipment/etc........

I signed-up to try it out,worse case scenario,a fairly inexpensive curiosity.
Not porting my number over just yet (T-Mobile),grandfathered-in w/a nice unlimited plan +5GB free tethering & decent employer discount.

 

[Crashdamage]

The MVNO's typically,but not always,have certain caveats,such as being throttled at a certain speed (Cricket @8mbps).
Virtually non-existent Customer Service,limited roaming/etc......

The plan you mention from T-Mobile is unlimited,but,only 1GB@ 4GLTE speeds,afterwards you're subject to throttling to 2-3G speeds,which,from my personal experience,is,for all practical purposes,unusable.
YMMV w/speeds depending on traffic/equipment/etc........

Yeah, we could never go MVNO. We both run businesses from our phones and the service with MVNO operators just doesn't cut it for that.

But T-Mobile postpaid is $50 for 1GB, throttled to 128kbps after that but with no overage charges. $60 for 3GB, $70 for 5GB. Data stash included except for the 1GB plan. And that includes tethering. $80 is really unlimited but unlike the smaller data plans it does not include tethering. T-Mobile ain't stupid.

I really think Fi is gonna be kick-ass.

 

[KOLIO]

http://phandroid.com/2015/04/22/google-project-fi-official/

Is that of interest to any folks over the pond?

Aside from getting cash back for MB's you don't use, it doesn't look that good and seems a bit pricey tbh.

Yeah, we could never go MVNO. We both run businesses from our phones and the service with MVNO operators just doesn't cut it for that.

But T-Mobile postpaid is $50 for 1GB, throttled to 128kbps after that but with no overage charges. $60 for 3GB, $70 for 5GB. Data stash included except for the 1GB plan. And that includes tethering. $80 is really unlimited but unlike the smaller data plans it does not include tethering. T-Mobile ain't stupid.

I really think Fi is gonna be kick-ass.

The NEXUS 6-only blows,but,I'm guessing,its a convenient control group for GOOGLE to test things out & if things go smoothly,it'll open up to more,if not most devices.
That's when I'll seriously consider porting my number over to Project Fi as my only carrier.

 

[funkylogik]

$10 per GB for data!!!
I know where El Presidente is coming from man because that sounds like daylight robbery to us (but we get robbed when we buy the hardware)

 

[KOLIO]

$10 per GB for data!!!
I know where El Presidente is coming from man because that sounds like daylight robbery to us (but we get robbed when we buy the hardware)

I ditched my ISP for a few months,trying to stretch my unlimited phone plan to the max,tethering for home/desktop use,etc...
While it technically worked,the prime-time speeds are too slow for any real/meaningful use.
The carriers supposedly don't throttle,but,if you read the fine print on terms of use,I'm sure there's something along the lines of "network management"/some sort of algorhythm to slow ya down,to lessen the load during prime time,as they deem necessary.
Even when I wasn't tethering/using less than 3GB/mo.,the evening speeds in my neighborhood are rush-hour slow at best.
Other area of town seemingly have more equipment to handle the load,lucky me doesn't live in one of those areas,apparently.
Soooooo,I'm back w/TWC for home internet.
I'm looking to maximize the value of that w/Project FI,signing up for a 1GB/mo. plan.
If all works well,most months I'd be able to save $50-$60 vs my current T-Mobile bill.
The one thing I would miss is the T-Mobile perk of the data plan not taking a hit when streaming music from GooglePlayMusic.
That's the one reason I'm not jumping in w/both feet at Project Fi (keeping my primary # w/T-Mobile ATM),could turn out to be too costly in the long run.
We'll see..................

 

[AZgl1500]

I could not afford $10/gB because I am on the Desktop PC all day long and most of the night.

I used to have 50 mbps on Cox Cable 4 years ago in Phoenix, AZ.
Now that I live in horse and cattle country, I have been pushed back into the dark ages with ADSL at 11.5 mbps maximum....

I would love to have Fi but there isn't any fibre close to me... someone has to bring it in, and a house every other mile won't get it done.

 

[bjacks12]

I'm considering it, if only as an excuse to buy a N6.

I am on Straight Talk paying $45 monthly for 3GB of "high speed" data a month, followed by all the dial-up speed data I can't use. I've only hit 1 GB maybe once in 3 years. I'm pretty well surrounded by WiFi.

If I switched, I'd be paying $20(talk&text) + $10(data, some which would likely be refunded) + $29(installment on the N6). Total is $59 a month for the service + phone. Basically paying $15 more per month to A) Have a new Nexus 6 and B) Move from AT&T's towers to T-Mobile/Sprint. T-Mobile mops the floor with AT&T in Las Vegas.

I also get $20 a month from my work towards my bill, so I'm really only paying $25 right now and would be going up to $40.

 

[KOLIO]

$10 per GB for data!!!
I know where El Presidente is coming from man because that sounds like daylight robbery to us (but we get robbed when we buy the hardware)

What kind of service package/pricing are you currently using?
Guessing it's a better deal than most stateside offerings.

 

[Gmash]

Metro has unlimited for $50 unlimited on T-Mobile, Cricket has 10 GB on AT&T for $60 ($55 with auto pay) (8mb is plenty fast for me) so this doesn't sound like a good deal to me at all. Plus the Nexus 6 is way too huge. Maybe if you never use data it might work out, otherwise I don't see the point.

 

[KOLIO]

I use data,but,95% of the time I'm covered by WI-FI,so,even though there's deals to be had,it's still a waste of $ if I'm not using it.
Granted,its good to know it's there,but,outside of tethering for home internet/computer use,the most I've used in a month is 6GB & a lot of that was impatience on my part,d/l ROMS &/or updates that coulda waited untilI was on a WI-FI network.

Hence the intersest inProject FI.
I'm sure they'll open it up to other devices eventually.

 

[kate]

Maybe my perception of data pricing in the US is a little skewed. I thought there loads of smaller networks piggybacking on the larger networks and charging much less?

Metro has unlimited for $50 unlimited on T-Mobile, Cricket has 10 GB on AT&T for $60 ($55 with auto pay)

Boost Mobile also has 10GB for $55 a month, so yes you have options to get more data for cheaper then Project Fi in the U.S.

But if you're not a heavy data user or use mostly WiFi it's not a bad deal (which is true for most pay-for-what-you-use carriers).

 

[KOLIO]

Boost Mobile also has 10GB for $55 a month, so yes you have options to get more data for cheaper then Project Fi in the U.S.

But if you're not a heavy data user or use mostly WiFi it's not a bad deal (which is true for most pay-for-what-you-use carriers).

It'll be an interesting test for myself w/at-home use,as I'm located at what appears to be,a handoff point of sorts on both T-Mobile & Sprint.
We'll see how well Google's "optimization" handles this purgatory of coverage & impact on battery life,if any.

 

[Crashdamage]

My wife has the Nexus 6 not me, so I have to think about It in terms of how it will work for her. And I think it will be better and maybe a bit cheaper.

We're on a family plan where her service is $40/mo unlimited with 1GB data. She makes several calls or more and maybe 10-12 texts on an average day. The 1GB of data is about right but has run out a couple of times, unfortunately when it was needed.

I can bump her up to 2GB for $10 or $50/mo. On Fi that's $40 and you get paid back for the unused data. So an average month will probably be only $30-35. So cost is low.

But it won't just be cheap. With the combined coverage of T-Mobile, Sprint and WiFi it should be excellent. And if customer service is like Google Fiber that will be excellent also.

So, she should have low cost, excellent coverage, excellent data speed and excellent support. A win win win win.

A MVNO might compete on price but not the rest.

 

[Gmash]

Where i live, even the chance that it might connect to Sprint is a minus. They are horrible, as in, go out on the porch to make a phone call horrible. The Wi-Fi thing seems like a gimmick, like where are all these open networks unless you hang out at Starbucks all day? Customer service isn't an issue for me, I've called Cricket maybe twice in ten years and they were fine, better than most of the horror stories I've heard about the "big" carriers. A lot of FUD out there about the MVNOs IMO.

 

[AZgl1500]

IMO, the Project Fi thing is a pure gimmick and useful only for pedestrians in a metro type area near food places.

nearly every business that I have walked into or nearby, when I check their WiFi signal it is secure.... so much for getting WiFi access....
A Walmart near me has more than 13 WiFi signals, all of them secure. They do NOT offer any open WiFi signals.

Also, the connect rate to get onto a WiFi is not fast enough to support a phone that is moving in traffic. Even if it did, a 10 second span of time is useless to try and move off the DATA network to WiFi.

I have had my WiFi monitor scanning full time on a drive from home to Tulsa, OK and there are very few places where WiFi is available long enough for the monitor to give me a readout on the Open/Closed status of the signal.

Friday I will be the lucky guy in the lobby of a doctor's office waiting for the wife's eyes to be lasered to stop bleeding caused by diabetes... The WiFi there is secure, not for public consumption.

I looked at the coverage area for Project Fi and they claim that the area all around my home is saturated with 4g..... a situation that I know for a fact is pure advertising hog wash, as just a mile west of me 1x is all that is available for miles and miles.

Once you leave the major highways, forget all about 4g, it is nearly non-existent. Us poor souls who live out here in rural areas know for a fact that super fast wireless data is not to be found. We pay high rates for ADSL and most of the homes are lucky to get 5 mbps.... I see a lot of HughesNet dishes out on the ranch homes around here.... Talk about slow in the evening peak periods..... that is down to dialup speeds of yesteryear.

 

[mikedt]

This sounds rather like Fon.
https://corp.fon.com/en

It borrows partner's WiFi when it's available. Except Fon works on just about any device that can install their app, and is very much global, even China.

 

[zuben el genub]

I want no part of it. I like what I have on TMO now and Viber texts the UK.

 

[jj14x]

If I were still with Sprint, I'd switch in a heartbeat. But right now, I pay T-Mo less than 20 bucks (family plan), and that includes calling overseas countries, and international (low-speed) data roaming. So, for now, I'll stay put with T-mo.

For anyone that is paying $30 or more (and has a N6), Fi is certainly worth looking into.

 

[Unforgiven]

Fi only offers 2G coverage at my house, so I don't think they will select me. I did sign up for an invite though.

 

[psionandy]

IMO, the Project Fi thing is a pure gimmick and useful only for pedestrians in a metro type area near food places.

nearly every business that I have walked into or nearby, when I check their WiFi signal it is secure.... so much for getting WiFi access....
A Walmart near me has more than 13 WiFi signals, all of them secure. They do NOT offer any open WiFi signals.

Also, the connect rate to get onto a WiFi is not fast enough to support a phone that is moving in traffic. Even if it did, a 10 second span of time is useless to try and move off the DATA network to WiFi.

I have had my WiFi monitor scanning full time on a drive from home to Tulsa, OK and there are very few places where WiFi is available long enough for the monitor to give me a readout on the Open/Closed status of the signal.

Friday I will be the lucky guy in the lobby of a doctor's office waiting for the wife's eyes to be lasered to stop bleeding caused by diabetes... The WiFi there is secure, not for public consumption.

I looked at the coverage area for Project Fi and they claim that the area all around my home is saturated with 4g..... a situation that I know for a fact is pure advertising hog wash, as just a mile west of me 1x is all that is available for miles and miles.

Once you leave the major highways, forget all about 4g, it is nearly non-existent. Us poor souls who live out here in rural areas know for a fact that super fast wireless data is not to be found. We pay high rates for ADSL and most of the homes are lucky to get 5 mbps.... I see a lot of HughesNet dishes out on the ranch homes around here.... Talk about slow in the evening peak periods..... that is down to dialup speeds of yesteryear.

Certainty I'm amazed at how excited some tech bloggers seem to be about it

What kind of service package/pricing are you currently using?
Guessing it's a better deal than most stateside offerings.

I signed up at the wrong time so missed out on the best deals... No £17 per month gets me unlimited data on the phone, a 4th tethering allowance 200 mins a month talk time to other networks, 2000 mins to anyone on the same network, and unlimited texts. I do however need to buy my own phone. But this still works out cheaper than buying it through the network over 2 years

 

[Crashdamage]

My wife has the Nexus 6. I put in a request for an invitation for her.