Project Fi, Google’s recently announced plans to offer its own wireless cellular service, appears to have a lot of demand – or at least, that’s what an email sent out to potential customers seems to imply. The email informs those who previously registered their interest in trying out the new service that, due to the number of requests Google has received, it will likely take until mid-summer before invites make their way to everyone.
Given that it’s nearly June, that’s not as far away as it sounds, of course. And that doesn’t mean that no one will receive an invite ahead of this “mid-summer” timeframe – after all, Google’s Project Fi’s website indicates that a small number of invites are distributed each week to those who’ve signed up. In fact, according to the email, several of Project Fi’s first customers have already been given access to the network. So far, Google says the early feedback has been positive.
Instead, the email means that the Project Fi invites will not be distributed in their entirety for several weeks to come.
Google’s email also indicates that potential customers will soon have a way to track their invite’s status. The company says it will soon release a tool that will allow for this in the weeks ahead.
The service, in case you missed the earlier reports, is a contract-free MVNO that runs on top of Sprint and T-Mobile’s cellular networks. Initially, subscribers must own a Nexus 6 smartphone to access Google’s network. The phone will also use a special Project Fi SIM card, which allows the device to connect to 4G LTE networks in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. Plans start at $20 per month for unlimited talk and text, plus Wi-Fi tethering (to use the phone as a hotspot). Then you will pay $10 per GB of data used – e.g. $10 for 1 GB, $20 for 2 GB, etc.
What potentially makes the network appealing outside of its contract-free nature and easy-to-understand cost structure is that you’ll receive credit for your unused data at the end of the month. So, for example, if you pay $30 for 3 GB but only use half of that, you’ll receive $15 back.
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The service is also tied into Google Hangouts, allowing you to place calls from your phone number on any Hangouts-enabled tablet or laptop in addition to your phone.
(h/t Android Central)
