The service, called Project Fi, is currently invite-only, and users need a Nexus 6 phone to use it. Its size suggests it doesn't expect to be a major competitor to services like AT&T and Verizon, just like how its Google Fiber project has remained more of an experiment. But it hints at the ways Google hopes to restructure the wireless industry and consumer options, stringing together existing networks and Wi-Fi connectivity into one service.
Project Fi's pricing plan is simple: $20 per month for voice, text, Wi-Fi tethering, plus $10 per gigabyte of data in the U.S. and abroad. But more importantly, customers will only pay for the data they use and will be credited with what's left over. Many traditional mobile carriers make users pay upfront for data that expires at the end of each billing cycle, though AT&T and T-Mobile have started experimenting with rollover data.
The service also charges the same data rate across international markets, which could attract travelers but might leave Google eating costs when users are in countries with much higher data prices.
Google's Project Fi announcement highlights its flexibility. Users automatically bounce from one connection to another, depending on whatever's best at their location -- Wi-Fi, one network or maybe another. The company said it scans for open Wi-Fi hotspots and then uses encryption to keep users's data secure. The service also bounces around between devices, letting users talk and text on smartphones, tablets and laptops.
"Wherever you're connected to Wi-Fi—whether that's at home, your favorite coffee shop or your Batcave—you can talk and text like you normally do," wrote Nick Fox, Google's vice president of communication products. "If you leave an area of Wi-Fi coverage, your call will seamlessly transition from Wi-Fi to cell networks so your conversation doesn't skip a beat."
The service is restricted to Nexus 6 for now because the phone "works with our unique SIM that lets you access multiple networks and has a state-of-the-art cellular radio tuned to work with different network types," Google said.
T-Mobile president and CEO John Legere called the partnership with Google "a no-brainer" and said the two companies share the same customer-first vision.
