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Project Fi by Google

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Re: Project Fi by Google

#351

Post by Lawtonfogle »

harryh wrote: post #207
jamroom wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as a point of reference, this is about on par with AT&T family share plans - I pay $145 a month for 3 iphones, unlimited text and talk with 10 gigs shared data. With taxes and fees it comes out to right around $160 (which would be the same here if I used all 10 gigs). The down side is that I'm not refunded for any unused data, so I pay that every month. But we use a good chunk of it every month, so this wouldn't…

I also use an AT&T share plan and they recently started rolling over unused data. So while I'm not getting money back I feel like I'm at least accruing something when I don't get close to my max. Depending on your plan they might be doing the same for you now too?

They roll it over but it is the last used and is only rolled over a single month.

Month 1: Get 10 Use 5 = 5 rolled over.

Month 2: Get 10 Rollover 5 Use 5 (of the 10) Lose 5 (already rolled over) = 5 rolled over.

Month 3: Get 10 Rollover 5 Use 5 (of the 10) Lose 5 (already rolled over) = 5 rolled over.

Month 4: Get 10 Rollover 5 Use 5 (of the 10) Lose 5 (already rolled over) = 5 rolled over.

By Month 5, you would think you would have 30 (10 + 5 rolled over from each month) but you only get 15.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#352

Post by Osiris »

eli wrote: post #117
kqr2 wrote: post #34

Republic Wireless has been doing hybrid wifi / cell calling for some time: https://republicwireless.com/ Their unlimited 3G plan is $25. Republic Wireless is owned by Bandwidth.com which also manages Google Voice numbers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwidth.com

So has T-Mobile. Any sufficiently fast wifi network becomes a mini network tower. It's a great idea.

When I had WiFi calling on T-mobile it still counted toward your minutes, so there was really no advantage to it in terms of billing, only in case of poor cell coverage.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#353

Post by peeters »

tonyhb wrote: post #239
eli wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The typical MVNO model would be for Google to handle all the support. I agree that end-user support does not seem to be one of Google's strengths.

Their support for the Nexus line of phones has been outstanding. Anyone can phone and speak to real humans with good tech knowledge, arrange a free replacement for (first time) cracked screens, and get next day replacements. I have no doubt that the support for this will be as good. Now, their automated side of advertising is crappy unless you're a large spender, but then that's just economies of scale.

> Their support for the Nexus line of phones has been outstanding

That hasn't been my experience, particularly with this issue:

https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=82949

Basically you have to roll a dice whether you'll have sound in voice calls on a Nexus 4 running Lollipop. 500 comments, 1200 stars, and the issue is simply closed as "wrong forum" with no other comment than "contact customer support".

I mean, I'm glad that Google supports so many camera features, as that's clearly the most important function of a Nexus 4, but at the end of the day I still expect my phone to be able to, you know, make voice calls.

Related HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8898669

Re: Project Fi by Google

#355

Post by maxsilver »

samstave wrote: post #336
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…

I have Sprint and I live in Alameda Ca - and work in SOMA in SF - It is hands down the worst cellular carrier in the bay area with respect to LTE coverage and speed: 1. They have been claiming they are building new towers for the last THREE years. 2. No coverage AT ALL in any bart tunnel 3. No coverage fully across the bay bridge 4. Spotty coverage in SOMA 5. Google hangouts is utterly useless on mobile 6. three huge…

But that's the whole point of Google Fi. They partnered with Sprint and T-Mobile.

When your in Alameda and Sprint sucks, Google puts you on T-Mobile's network, and you get better data + coverage.

When you head to the rural Midwest, and T-Mobile has EDGE or no service at all, Google can put you back on Sprint LTE and it's at least better than EDGE on T-Mobile.

If this works the way they describe, then you win in both situations -- you get the best of either network, wherever you happen to be.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#356

Post by VikingCoder »

yellowapple wrote: post #298
VikingCoder wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure the accountants and engineers at Google got together and figured out that "unlimited data" plans are going to go bye-bye. For everyone. All providers. As people use more and more data, it just won't make economic sense to offer your customers unlimited data. If Google had offered unlimited data, and then later canceled it, everyone would be bitching about them killing the competition, anti-competitive…

> As people use more and more data, it just won't make economic sense to offer your customers unlimited data. It makes perfect economic sense. Users who expect to need a lot of data (e.g. anyone who watches or wants to watch HD videos over a cellular connection, which is a lot of people) would be better served by T-Mobile's or Sprint's unlimited (non-throttled) data plans (which run for somewhere between $70 and $90…

I'm not sure you're getting me. I'm saying that eventually T-Mobile and Sprint will not be able to offer $70 or $90 a month for unlimited data. Or if they do, it will be so throttled as to be completely meaningless.

I'm predicting that as more people use more of their data, the network will not grow fast enough to support the total bandwidth. The fact that they can currently offer "unlimited" is a temporary condition, based on the distribution of network users' bandwidth. As consumption grows, it gets to the point where they can't actually offer it any more.

That's my prediction, and I bet Google made the same prediction.

Instead, you're acting like I don't understand that people WANT unlimited data, especially at the prices it's being offered at today.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#357

Post by samsolomon »

bko wrote: post #338
laurencerowe wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is charging a significant markup over T-Mobile's existing rates ($30/month for 5Gb vs $70/month through Gooogle.) So Fi is really only interesting for people doing significant international roaming.

Where did you get your numbers? T-Mobile site says 1 GB of 4G data with unlimited talk and text for $50 a month. 5 gigs of 4G data is $70 http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html

I can confirm, that's the exact plan I have.

There are some cheaper pay-as-you-go plans, but those are actually Walmart's plans using T-Mobile's towers—similar to what Google is doing here.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#358

Post by eli »

Osiris wrote: post #352
eli wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So has T-Mobile. Any sufficiently fast wifi network becomes a mini network tower. It's a great idea.

When I had WiFi calling on T-mobile it still counted toward your minutes, so there was really no advantage to it in terms of billing, only in case of poor cell coverage.

Correct, though I think almost all the plans they sell now are unlimited minutes, so the billing is irrelevant

Re: Project Fi by Google

#359

Post by bgc »

peeters wrote: post #353
tonyhb wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their support for the Nexus line of phones has been outstanding. Anyone can phone and speak to real humans with good tech knowledge, arrange a free replacement for (first time) cracked screens, and get next day replacements. I have no doubt that the support for this will be as good. Now, their automated side of advertising is crappy unless you're a large spender, but then that's just economies of scale.

> Their support for the Nexus line of phones has been outstanding That hasn't been my experience, particularly with this issue: https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=82949 Basically you have to roll a dice whether you'll have sound in voice calls on a Nexus 4 running Lollipop. 500 comments, 1200 stars, and the issue is simply closed as "wrong forum" with no other comment than "contact customer support".…

Android support != Nexus hardware support. It seems like you're much better off support-wise if your phone's screen is shattered than if you are having any sort of issue with the software...
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