Google’s Project Fi service will now work on tablets including iPads and other compatible data-only devices besides phones. There are no extra fees to add devices to a Fi plan and data only costs $10 for every 1GB you use. That varies from many mainstream carrier plans with charge monthly rates for data access.
In the next couple of days, current users of Google’s MVNO will see an option to order a free data-only nano SIM from the ‘Your Plan’ section of the Project Fi website. Google only touts support for the following devices (all tablets), but other unlocked phones and tablets that work with T-Mobile should also support Fi:
- Nexus 7 – K009 (US LTE)
- Nexus 9 – 0P82300 (US LTE)
- iPad Air 2 – Model A1567
- iPad mini 4 – Model A1550
- Galaxy Tab S – Model SM-T807V
Their support page notes being able to use a data-only SIM in a smartphone, but users won’t be able to make calls or receive texts. That will still requires a Nexus 5X, 6, or 6P so no iPhones or other Android phones yet. Users will be able to add up to nine data-only SIM cards to their account, but a SIM can be moved from device to device. Additionally, data-only SIM cards will not support tethering.
Those new to Fi can request an invite to join the service, but expect a waiting period.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
MAN this is such a ripoff. In the UK $30 unlimited data on Three, including 600 minutes calls & unlimited texts. Oh and these benefits carry over to 15 countries at no extra cost.
$10/GB – is this some kind of sick joke?
Just curious. How many carriers are there in the UK? why is the price so much better?
Here in the US I am assuming its a product of the oligopoly industry.
Here are the full features of Google’s Project Fi:
Unlimited domestic talk and text
Unlimited international texts
Low-cost international calls
Wi-Fi tethering
Coverage in 120+ countries
None of those features are “generic” and available to all products you plug the sim into.
I wish $10/GB was a joke, but for the rates that we pay, it’s actually very good.
The price per MB in aggregate sucks as you’ve pointed out, even for larger cap plans in Canada and the US. But for a single GB? At $10 flat? That’s pretty good and I’d go for it if it were available in Canada and if it had nothing to do with Google (because without question they’re data-mining every single packet through their service).
The party line is that the US is different than Europe because it is so much bigger with lower population density but that is total BS. The real reason is that the FCC in its infinite wisdom had auctions for the spectrum in which the highest bidder could effectively get a monopoly for those frequencies rather than sharing the spectrum with other providers who would compete based on price. So companies spent billions on the spectrum and forced customers to pay as much as five times as much as they should for data. So for a few billion up front, the US lost its competitive edge in wireless technology. I am sure all involved now have cushy jobs at the telcos.
This is batshit crazy. For $30 tax included you get 50 GB of data in Sweden.