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Project Fi by Google

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Re: Project Fi by Google

#271

Post by toomuchtodo »

yellowapple wrote: post #246
toomuchtodo wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Or better yet: why aren't they offering an unlimited data plan like what T-Mobile and Sprint (Google Fi's "partners") already offer? Because they're acting as an MVNO, and have to pay Sprint and T-Mobile for each MB they deliver to the handset. Google is not trying to replace carriers, they're trying to improve the experience as an MVNO (they providing what Republic Wireless does on a much larger scale).

Doesn't Republic Wireless offer unlimited data plans, too? Being an MVNO has nothing to do with Google Fi's apparent inability to do the same.

They ride on Sprint, who is desperate for revenue. Also, Republic retains the right to boot you if you use too much "unlimited" data on Sprint's network.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#272

Post by Someone1234 »

FlyingLawnmower wrote: post #269
Someone1234 wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have the AT&T family share plan or the family VALUE share plan? Because those figures sound a lot more like the value share plan. PS - The difference is that with the value plan, phones are no longer "free." You have to have a separate credit line (called: "AT&T Next"). So a phone might be $30/month for 30 months.

I think that is a moot point since you would have to pay the full price of your phone with the Google Fi plan anyway. It seems like the AT&T Next plans are actually a credit line with 0% interest as well; if you multiply out the costs, it's normally within $2-3 of the full cost of the phone anyway (i.e. AT&T isn't profiting off of your phone subsidy). For the sake of apples to apples comparisons, it seems like the Go…

It isn't a moot point. Many people reading might assume that that price includes a largely subsidised phone, since that is what people are used to with the big two.

All I am saying is, AT&T's offer no longer does, so it is close to what Google/T-Mobile are doing.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#273

Post by yellowapple »

codezero wrote: post #118
yellowapple wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or better yet: why aren't they offering an unlimited data plan like what T-Mobile and Sprint (Google Fi's "partners") already offer? Why aren't they even at least going with T-Mobile's approach of "throttle the connection once you go past your data cap, but don't charge overages"? It's like they're taking the best things of both carriers - their unlimited data plans - and pretending those things don't exist, that the…

My best guess is that these carriers regret offering unlimited data.

If they regret offering it, then they'd get rid of it like AT&T did.

No, T-Mobile and Sprint embrace it. It's what differentiates them from their competitors. They know that the claims of "oh no, unlimited data would cause congestion issues!!!!11one" were a poor excuse even a decade ago, let alone in the present day, and are thus unafraid to offer customers something that doesn't result in total shafting. AT&T and Verizon can have their fancy networks; they're moot compared to the millions of customers that pick Sprint and T-Mobile specifically because of the unlimited data plans.

Hell, T-Mobile's business model pretty much revolves around it at this point. "We'll give you a couple gigs of high-speed data; if you go over that, we'll just throttle you to 2G speeds without charging overages or any such nonsense. If you want more high-speed, pay for more of it or go with our actual unlimited plan. Oh, and we'll let you rollover your unused high-speed data and we won't make music streaming count toward it and we'll pay your current carrier's ETFs if you switch because we know that that's the only reason why you haven't already switched to us and you won't be locked into a contract anymore." They advertise all this every chance they get, and they deliver on those promises.

I switched to T-Mobile a year ago (from Sprint, which I switched to from AT&T) because of the zero overages, meaning that I wouldn't have to have an unlimited plan just for the peace of mind of not being shafted on a particular month because I watched one too many videos on YouTube or somesuch. A year later and I haven't looked back; definitely one of the better decisions I've made. Google Fi doesn't offer anything that would even remotely compel me to swtich (not even the dual-carrier stuff; I've found T-Mobile to be consistently better coverage-wise and speed-wise than Sprint in my area, so I'd probably just be on T-Mobile's network all the time anyway).

Re: Project Fi by Google

#274

Post by maxerickson »

untog wrote: post #259
maxerickson wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This service requires a $650 phone.

Sure, but there's no reason it will always be the case. It makes sense to start with a limited number of hardware devices, and only ones under your control.

Yeah, I'm not confused about that.

But the comment I replied to was concerned that some users of the service might have more disposable income than others, which is an odd thing to bring to the table when discussing a convenience service that has a $650 entry price (I don't have a smartphone, so I'm not being a ridiculous hypocrite describing it that way).

I'm pretty skeptical of price controls, I never expect them to do me any good. The argument presented there is that surge pricing is bad because some people can't afford it. The other side of the coin is that if you ban surge pricing, you make it more difficult to charge less at other times.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#275

Post by slb »

esalman wrote: post #219
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…

Whom do I pay, Google?

Yes.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#276

Post by yellowapple »

modeless wrote: post #264
yellowapple wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Consumers and websites have no incentive to fix any problem that causes them to use unnecessary data, clogging the network. Who says that my usage of data is a "problem" needing "solved"? 10GB (the highest Google offers on its Fi page) can be burned through pretty quickly just by watching videos on a road trip or somesuch. I'd much rather pay $80 for an unlimited plan from Sprint or T-Mobile than pay $120 (or more)…

> "Clogging the network" would be solved by carriers actually bothering to invest in their networks This is exactly my point. With unlimited data plans, carriers have little incentive to upgrade their networks. It increases costs without directly increasing revenue. With pay-per-GB, the incentive is clear: upgrading the network increases usage which directly increases revenue.

> It increases costs without directly increasing revenue.

Attracting more customers because you offer unlimited data and other carriers don't sounds like a pretty-damn-direct increase of revenue to me.

See also: how T-Mobile makes money off me and millions of others.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#277

Post by walterbell »

Someone1234 wrote: post #270
vigneshv_psg wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW, T-Mobile in the US already has the exact same offering [1]. Their plan has free texts and 2g data in 120+ countries. Calls cost 20 cents per minute. [1] http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/roaming.html

I am on T-Mobile and travelled outside the US late last year. First off, I just want to say, the "free tier" of international data is extremely appreciated for two important reasons: - Overage is literally impossible (i.e. no "bill shock"). - If you don't wish to pay, you get "something" for nothing. So, now, the "bad." The reality is that T-Mobile's free tier is incredibly slow like "my 56K modem was faster than thi…

Does the slow connection work for background reception of email? In that case, one would never wait interactively for email, only be notified when email had already been received.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#278

Post by swalsh »

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…

With 4G, you need as much spectrum as possible to provide fast service. Sprint and T Mobile are losing the 4G race pretty hard. Regulators won't let them merge, so this is kind of a way for them to team up. Just my speculation.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#279

Post by mmanfrin »

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…

Both Sprint and T-Mobile are major providers to MVNO networks -- a significant amount of business they generate comes from carriers who use Sprint/TMo's networks, but handle the customer relations/sales/billing themselves.

To Sprint and T-Mobile, Google is just another MVNO carrier.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#280

Post by panopticon »

ssharp wrote: post #244

Can someone explain why mobile data is now the expense driver for phone plans and why it's so expensive? It's obvious that data usage has skyrocketed now that smartphones have taken off, but is all that data usage draining mobile networks? Is there not enough capacity? Or is it just that it's so expensive to build? Is it such a massive barrier-to-entry that rates aren't really competitive?

I'm not terribly knowledgeable in this area, but I think part of it has to do with the availability of frequencies to do data communication over. They price data so people curb their data usage thus preventing crowding on the already limited bandwidth.

Of course, this could just be FUD I've been fed.

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