Google’s Project Fi wireless service opens up for all in the States
And you can get a Nexus 5X for just $199 to mark the occasion
Nearly a year after launching, Google’s Project Fi wireless service is finally open to all U.S. customers, dropping the invite-only system that marked the initial early access period.
Now, anyone using (or playing to buy) one of the few compatible phones – the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6 – can sign up for Project Fi, which automatically finds the best available connection at any given time between the T-Mobile and Sprint cellular networks, as well as public and known Wi-Fi networks.
Project Fi has been hailed for being a very different kind of cellular program for U.S. subscribers, potentially saving users a fair amount of money each month. Google charges US$20 for unlimited calls and texts, and then $10 per GB of data used, with the credit for any unused data applied back to your account.
That way you’re not wasting money on big chunks of data, plus international data usage is charged at the same rates. Better yet, the Wi-Fi Assistant tool automatically finds public Wi-Fi networks and prioritises those over your cellular connection when possible, which helps keep your data usage down.
Google intentionally kept the user pool small during the first 10+ months of service, only shedding the invite-only system for a single day in October, but now anyone can sign up for Project Fi. And there’s a plenty nice perk for the next month: you can order a Nexus 5X for just US$199 from Google if you buy and activate it through the service – a savings of US$150.
Unfortunately, Google’s announcement says nothing about plans for an international version of the service, but now that the U.S. version of Project Fi is fully open and available, we can’t help but hope they turn their attention elsewhere on the map.
[Source: Android Official Blog via Engadget]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
