Google Is About to Change the World of Cell Phone Service with Project Fi

Google has finally announced official plans for its new wireless network. The rumor has been circulating for months since it was discovered that Google was holding meetings with several wireless carriers last year. It had seemed that the tech giant has been shopping around for a few years for a wireless piggyback, and now they have found their candidate. On Wednesday, April 23rd, Google announced the widely anticipated wireless service which they’ve dubbed as Project Fi. 

Since 2005, Google has been slowly making its way into the mobile marketplace to change things for the better. Their first move was purchasing the Android software and releasing it, freely, to Google Wirelesslarge phone manufacturers like Samsung, LG, and Lenovo. Prior to this, software companies like Microsoft had always charged phone carriers for the software. Now, more than 80% of the world’s smartphones are Android.

Logically, Google’s next step is to change the way consumer cell phone plans work, and everyone is pretty eager to jump on board. Reportedly, they will be offering one all-encompassing plan for just $20 per month, a plan which includes voice, text, tethering, and international coverage. Additional data will cost $10 per gigabyte, however, they’re echoing AT&T’s old “roll over” plan – if you don’t use all of your data, it will be credited to your next month. The best part is, Google isn’t going to require an annual contract.

Google is able to offer this kind of pricing because they haven’t had to spend millions building an entirely new wireless infrastructure as they’ve struck a deal with Sprint and T-Mobile to piggy back on their networks. They’re also bringing a brand new concept to wireless service, the ability to switch between cellular and wi-fi networks during a phone call. This will allow Google to keep carrier costs down while allowing users to avoid having to use overcrowded cell networks.

For now, Google’s wireless service is meant to be a “small-scale experiment,” according to product manager Sundar Pichai. While this statement is meant to quell their watchful wireless competitors, they certainly won’t be taking their eyes off Google anytime soon, as the new plan has the potential to completely reshape the cell phone service industry. Google has already made its way into the Internet service world, launching Google Fiber in 2010 and giving companies like Comcast and AT&T a run for their money. It looks like the cell phone carriers are next. With the constant changes to cell phone carrier plans, fluctuating bills, data caps, and unidentifiable charges, Google seems to be offering the refreshing change we’ve all been waiting for.

Currently, the service is being offered as an invite-only network, but you can go ahead and request an invite at this site.

Questions about Google and its many changes? Give us a call at 317.436.7910 and speak to our owner, John Slimak.