Google announces Project Fi: Partners with Sprint and T-Mobile for Network Access (previous title: Google to start it's own Wireless Service; using T-Mobile/Sprint for it's Network Footprint.)

[IamMrFamous07]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-21/sprint-t-mobile-jump-on-report-google-to-use-mobile-networks.html?cmpid=yhoo

 

Google to start their own MVNO service using Sprint and tmobile

[jroepcke51]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-21/sprint-t-mobile-jump-on-report-google-to-use-mobile-networks.html?cmpid=yhoo

 

Google to start their own MVNO service using Sprint and tmobile

Depending on roaming and the data packages, i would consider this.

[S4GRU]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-21/sprint-t-mobile-jump-on-report-google-to-use-mobile-networks.html?cmpid=yhoo

 

Google to start their own MVNO service using Sprint and tmobile

 

This just blows my mind.  Would you have to choose one service or the other?  Or would you get both?  It seems possible that you could have a SIM that could run on both networks.  Granted a data session or call would not hand over from one network to the other.  But you could go back and forth as necessary in between active calls and sessions.  It might work pretty well.

[jroepcke51]

This just blows my mind.  Would you have to choose one service or the other?  Or would you get both?  It seems possible that you could have a SIM that could run on both networks.  Granted a data session or call would not hand over from one network to the other.  But you could go back and forth as necessary in between active calls and sessions.  It might work pretty well.

Google be like, "Sprint/T-mo merger didn't happen, I make it happen."

[david279]

Share all the lte bands and h+ for everything else. I'm with it.

[SeanK_]

Count me in!

 

This just reminded me of this company wanting to create a dual sim card phone (or I should say tablet phone)

[caspar347]

Wow.

 

Well... that was unexpected.

 

Edit: I wonder if this might lead to increased Google involvement in the 600 auction (if it happens). Maybe they'll go a step further and in addition to petitioning for open access requirements they can lend Sprint/T-Mobile some cash?

[Deval]

I wonder if it is an either/or type of purchase, or both.

 

Would be interesting to see if there was a way to provision a SIM to work on both networks simultaneously. Wouldn't make much sense though, considering the networks overlap in a lot of places.

[S4GRU]

I wonder if it is an either/or type of purchase, or both.

 

Would be interesting to see if there was a way to provision a SIM to work on both networks simultaneously. Wouldn't make much sense though, considering the networks overlap in a lot of places.

 

It may work like StraightTalk, where you have to pick your network up front.  But it seems to me Google would come up with a more eloquent solution than that.  I would like to hear more details on the network side.

[dedub]

another article @ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/01/report-google-to-launch-wireless-service-this-year/

 

 

My guess is this;

 

google is going to use data only service, from either/both based on location/connection of phone, then route voice/sms over google voice (voip).

 

Also, it may add more overhead to the data transport, but they could VPN their data traffic directly to google data centers over whichever carrier, therefore essentially ignoring the network differences, and also keeping all user traffic snooping out of the hands of the carriers.

[kojitsari]

Maybe this is the answer to the questions regarding what carrier project Ara will be available on...

[S4GRU]

another article @ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/01/report-google-to-launch-wireless-service-this-year/

 

 

My guess is this;

 

google is going to use data only service, from either/both based on location/connection of phone, then route voice/sms over google voice (voip).

 

Now that makes a lot of sense!  The ultimate Google Voice experience with data only.  Interesting.

[Deval]

It may work like StraightTalk, where you have to pick your network up front.  But it seems to me Google would come up with a more eloquent solution than that.  I would like to hear more details on the network side.

 

That's what I was thinking as well. 

 

I'd love to see it as well.

[lou99/maximus1987]

This just blows my mind. Would you have to choose one service or the other? Or would you get both? It seems possible that you could have a SIM that could run on both networks. Granted a data session or call would not hand over from one network to the other. But you could go back and forth as necessary in between active calls and sessions. It might work pretty well.

Maybe google will move the virtual sim forward.

[lou99/maximus1987]

I wonder if it is an either/or type of purchase, or both.

 

Would be interesting to see if there was a way to provision a SIM to work on both networks simultaneously. Wouldn't make much sense though, considering the networks overlap in a lot of places.

An att TMO hybrid makes more sense.

[dedub]

Ya know, even cooler they can support multi-device voice/text using google voice.

 

I already do this, with nexus 5, iphone 6+ and nexus 7. With google voice integration and hangouts, I can make/receive voice and text (and hangout video calls) over all 3 devices. Text messages are kept in sync too.

[Deval]

An att TMO hybrid makes more sense.

 

Yeah, which in my mind means that Google is going to give users an option for "google wireless" and pick their network.

[joshnys8913]

You never know this may be really good choice for some 

[lou99/maximus1987]

Definitely won't have unlimited.

[Deval]

I am curious to see what their plans will look like.

 

Will they sell the Nexus 5/6 at a cheaper price since customers will be dealing with them directly? What type of support will they have for their devices? 

[lou99/maximus1987]

I am curious to see what their plans will look like.

 

Will they sell the Nexus 5/6 at a cheaper price since customers will be dealing with them directly? What type of support will they have for their devices?

And will their cust service speak English.

[808Bill]

And will their cust service speak English.

Doesn't matter. They'll use Google Translate.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[travismheim]

Definitely won't have unlimited.

Do you have anything to back that up? A MVNO can offer whatever they want to pay for. I don't know about T-Mobile, but Sprint is very open to wholesale business. You could become your own provider as a Sprint MVNO if you had the money.

[lou99/maximus1987]

Do you have anything to back that up? A MVNO can offer whatever they want to pay for. I don't know about T-Mobile, but Sprint is very open to wholesale business. You could become your own provider as a Sprint MVNO if you had the money.

TMO sprint will sell wholesale at $/gig. I doubt google could afford to carry a customer if it costs google money to carry that customer.

[dedub]

Definitely won't have unlimited.

 

 

Google definitely wants you to use content, so they can track you and serve you ads.

 

I would expect that unlimited would be a given.

 

I would further expect, that it will be even cheaper if you 'opt in' to letting google track you at an even deeper level than they normally do.