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Project Fi Creates Its Own Version of An Unlimited Plan (theverge.com)
Google's Project Fi mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) has launched a new feature called Bill Protection that will cap your $10 per GB data bill at $60 a month, while still allowing you to use as much data as you want, essentially creating its own version of an unlimited data plan. The Verge reports: Prior to today, Project Fi users were charged $10 per GB no matter how much data they used, which could become quite costly for heavy users. Bill Protection should help alleviate those worries for most users. Google says those who use up to 15GB of data in a month won't experience any throttling, but if they cross that threshold -- Google says less than 1 percent of its users pass that mark -- they will "experience slower data" with speeds going down to 256kbps. If you don't want to be throttled when you pass 15GB in a month, Google says you can pay the usual $10 per GB to opt out of the slower speeds. It also noted that Bill Protection for Project Fi users on group plans will kick in at different usage levels, depending on the size of your group.
The throttling 24/7 (not just during times of congestion) is pretty aggressive too.
Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
Yeah, but do other networks allow me to use the data in 100+ other countries with no extra charges or anything needed to be done by me?
I could also opt out and just pay the extra money to make the "problem" go away.
Either way it's a win / win situation from what we had a month ago. A month ago 15GB of data would have cost $150 instead of the now $60. This means paying full price for higher usage literally doesn't change, but from 6-15GB can be over 50% cheaper.
Other networks also don't work out as cheap for a data plan either. I normally use between 500-800MB a month since wifi is damn near everywhere now. That means I pay $5-$8 per month for my data plan. $25-$28 / month for coverage from three different carriers across the U.S. and data in 100+ countries is pretty damn nice.
To err is human; effective mayhem requires the root password!
I've passed it three time.
Two times an app that's supposed to download podcasts over WiFi only decided to use normal data. Another I needed to webcast an announcement for a political connection and it was better than the hotel WiFi.
In short - if the places I hung around (work) had better WiFi so that my automated downloader didn't hiccup and/or fail to download on a regular basis I would practically never exceed my bandwidth. The program itself seems to be pretty good about not doing it on mobile data, it's when I manually force it, it will use anything.
fi had been great. I'm rarely without a signal. During Hurricane Harvey Sprint and T-Mobile had great signals but zero backhaul. I was able to force it over to US Cellular (a carrier that doesn't really exist as an entity down here but still have coverage for their travelers) and even though the signal was weak I could let people know we were safe. What other carrier can you switch your carrier on when a local connection sucks?
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Its really not, because you save a ton by not paying for unused data. If you use 515 MB, then you pay $5.15 for data. Fi also does a great job of using wifi whenever possible, including for voice calls and the provide a free VPN so that you can feel safe using public wifi in more places.
My bill is typically around $28. Most providers with service rates in that ball park do not give you access to Nexus phones.
I am typicallly around 700 MB of data and I don't hold back. Home, work, gym, hotels, restaurants... they all have wifi. I don't think I could use 10 GB of data in a month if I tried.
I had T-Mobile before I switched to Project Fi. I've had Fi in three places now, East Coast, Houston and now California. It really seems better to me and certainly cheaper most months because I don't pay for any bandwidth I don't use. Lots of months my bill is about $25. Quality is good, I bought the phone outright so I don't pay any vig and I never see "service fees" or additional charges on my bill, ever.
You are welcome on my lawn.
True, but that's not the full story...
Base plan: $20/month for unlimited talk and text. $10/GB used, prorated, not charged for what you don't use. Add taxes and regulatory fees. So, if you use not tower data, you pay something like $23/month. Now add that you pay the prorated amount without overages... This is more like a flex plan. Soft cap, yes. Is the throttled speed low? Yes. But with most unlimited plans you pay the full amount even if you use no data.
I'll stick to my previous position for anyone contemplating Fi that I've been saying from when I first switched: If you're not a heavy data user, it's nearly perfect. This just made it better for moderate users.
Project Fi isn't supposed to take off. Its supposed to put pricing and behavior pressure on the big carriers. For that it doesn't need to be big, it just needs to be enough of a threat to stop them from acting badly.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
My average total bill is $33 or so. 20 for call/text, 10 for data, and a few bucks in taxes. I save $500+ a year from when I had an unlimited plan. On top of that its still the same price when I leave the country. Oh, and it will automatically log into free wifi and VPN me to protect my data and save me from using charged cellular data while walking around. If you use less than 6 GB a month (which is the vast majority of people), its the best deal out there.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?