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Project Fi by Google

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Re: Project Fi by Google

#171

Post by smacktoward »

wiremine wrote: post #92

For those who don't want to read the FAQ or find the video incredibly unhelpful [1]: a. It only supports the Nexus 6 out of the gate. b. It automatically switches you to the "fastest" network available. Partners out of the gate are Sprint and T-mobile. Sounds like it prefers Wifi, then 4G LTE, and then degrades down to 3G or 2G. c. Pricing is $20 for unlimited talk (domestic) and text (domestic and international) and…

What I don't get is, what's in this for Sprint and T-Mobile? Currently a user of their network is a customer they "own" -- they deal with that customer directly. Now they have Google sitting between them and the user, which effectively commoditizes their service; Google could switch them out for another network down the road without the user ever knowing or caring. That's great for Google, and probably also great for the user, but not so great for the individual cell providers.

Presumably Google is paying them something to compensate for that, but it still seems dumb -- accepting a little money today at the cost of cutting your own throat in the long term. But then there aren't many providers in the US that aren't dumb, so maybe the long-term threat has just been completely missed by them? Who knows...

Re: Project Fi by Google

#172

Post by maxerickson »

saidajigumi wrote: post #148
MBlume wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or better yet, some sort of dynamic pricing when, say, you're on a crowded subway platform. You'd really want solid software integration for that, though, so the user isn't unpleasantly surprised by it.

I have a lot of problems with surge pricing in general, not the least of which (in this example) is that it creates two classes of 'net users: those with enough disposable income to probably not care about surge pricing ever and those for whom it's a burden. Yes, that's a reflection on larger societal issues, but it's still there. Worse, surge pricing is often a distraction for nearly everyone. IMO, it's not ethical…

How do you feel about services that require $650 phones?

Also, discounts when network utilization is low?

Re: Project Fi by Google

#174

Post by darkstar999 »

zyxley wrote: post #164
fennecfoxen wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe that's okay -- end-user support isn't exactly one of the cellular industry's strengths either :P

I dunno, I'd rather have "bad support" over "support that literally doesn't exist".

I'd defer to those who currently have Google Fiber. Is support any good?

Re: Project Fi by Google

#175

Post by [deleted] »

dntrkv wrote: post #81
kirinan wrote: post #8

This is insane. I can't think of an industry that google is not trying to compete in. Auto industry, space industry, internet of things industry (Nest), internet/media industry, cable/internet provider industry, automobile industry, robotics industry, software industry, smartphone industry, pc industry now the telecom industry. I'm starting to expect Google to launch an airline here pretty soon. How can they possibly…

They are not really competing in all of those industries, they might have a crazy project they are attempting, but they aren't really competition. Auto industry? I'm assuming you mean self driving cars, which, at this point, are still in the concept phase. Space industry? Did I miss something, is Google launching rockets? There are many other companies that are way more diversified than Google. http://en.wikipedia.or…

[deleted]

Re: Project Fi by Google

#176

Post by untog »

maxerickson wrote: post #172
saidajigumi wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a lot of problems with surge pricing in general, not the least of which (in this example) is that it creates two classes of 'net users: those with enough disposable income to probably not care about surge pricing ever and those for whom it's a burden. Yes, that's a reflection on larger societal issues, but it's still there. Worse, surge pricing is often a distraction for nearly everyone. IMO, it's not ethical…

How do you feel about services that require $650 phones? Also, discounts when network utilization is low?

How do you feel about services that require $650 phones?

Broadly speaking, few do. There are a lot of cheap Android phones out there.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#177

Post by cylinder »

smacktoward wrote: post #171
wiremine wrote: post #92

For those who don't want to read the FAQ or find the video incredibly unhelpful [1]: a. It only supports the Nexus 6 out of the gate. b. It automatically switches you to the "fastest" network available. Partners out of the gate are Sprint and T-mobile. Sounds like it prefers Wifi, then 4G LTE, and then degrades down to 3G or 2G. c. Pricing is $20 for unlimited talk (domestic) and text (domestic and international) and…

What I don't get is, what's in this for Sprint and T-Mobile? Currently a user of their network is a customer they "own" -- they deal with that customer directly. Now they have Google sitting between them and the user, which effectively commoditizes their service; Google could switch them out for another network down the road without the user ever knowing or caring. That's great for Google, and probably also great for…

They are probably getting excess capacity bought by Google, it's not a bad idea to take easy guaranteed revenue.

My other theory is that they are giving Google a taste of the business that will later lead to Google buying T-Mobile or Sprint outright.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#178

Post by fixxer »

smacktoward wrote: post #171
wiremine wrote: post #92

For those who don't want to read the FAQ or find the video incredibly unhelpful [1]: a. It only supports the Nexus 6 out of the gate. b. It automatically switches you to the "fastest" network available. Partners out of the gate are Sprint and T-mobile. Sounds like it prefers Wifi, then 4G LTE, and then degrades down to 3G or 2G. c. Pricing is $20 for unlimited talk (domestic) and text (domestic and international) and…

What I don't get is, what's in this for Sprint and T-Mobile? Currently a user of their network is a customer they "own" -- they deal with that customer directly. Now they have Google sitting between them and the user, which effectively commoditizes their service; Google could switch them out for another network down the road without the user ever knowing or caring. That's great for Google, and probably also great for…

They already do that (allow a 3rd party to resell over their infrastructure) with Ting. They are in a commodity biz.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#179

Post by johladam »

anilshanbhag wrote: post #149

This does look promising but it is in no way cheaper than existing options. I am currently using a family plan from AT&T to get 1GB (10GB shared among 10 to be precise) + unlimited calls+text for $27.17 per month.

Are you on a single plan with 9 other people? If so, that really isn't a fair comparison. A single line on T-Mobile is a fair comparison.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#180

Post by wting »

MBlume wrote: post #154
wting wrote: post #139

For family plans T-Mobile's Simple Choice Plan beats Google Fi in most respects: - No contract - Unlimited domestic talk, intl talk from US to ~100 countries - Competitive intl talk - Unlimited domestic + intl text - 2.5GB 4G LTE data - Unlimited domestic + intl 2G data (128Kbps vs Google's 3G 256Kbps) - Use any GSM phone, not just Nexus 6 - Phones purchased from T-Mobile come with Wi-Fi calling Most of my family mem…

Look at the name. I think their goal is that most of the time when you're out and about, you're connected to Wi-Fi. I think the cellular partners are a crutch to get them there. If they manage that, you'll wind up paying a lot less than with T-Mobile.

You're right, I missed this on the first pass:

> There are lots of Wi-Fi hotspots out there but not all of them are high-quality. Project Fi automatically connects you to more than a million free, open Wi-Fi hotspots we've verified as fast and reliable. This technology helps keep your speed high and your data bill low.

For low bandwidth users a ~$25 / mo, intl coverage, no contract plan can be really attractive. I'm not sure how wifi coverage or handoff will perform in real life testing, but it's appealing to have Google pressure US telecom companies the same way they did with Google Fiber.

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