Tag: google wifi

Project Fi is opened up to certain device users in the US

| March 14, 2016

The tech giant has announced that it is making its mobile network available to all users in the United States.

Google has now announced that it is making its mobile network, Project Fi, available to everyone in the United States that is a user of the Nexus models of smartphone.

The idea is that the devices can connect to Google’s cellular networks and WiFi hotspots through T-Mobile and Sprint.

The Project Fi connections can be used for text, voice and data services. In this way, mobile device users are able to send and receive tests and phone calls, even when connected exclusively to WiFi. The service also provides comparable pricing structures to those available through more traditional mobile networks. There is an up-front fee of $20 for users to be able to take advantage of unlimited domestic calling and unlimited international texting.

Before now, Project Fi had been available only to those who were directly invited to use it.

For another $10, users can purchase another GB of data. Users can purchase as many $10 one gig data increases as they want and any unused data will be credited back to their account at the end of the month, so it won’t be lost.

According to the service’s product manager, Simon Arscott, “this mobile network service was first launched exclusively to those who received invitations as a part of their Early Access program. This allowed the company to fine tune its quality in time for its full launch to all American consumers. “Today, we’re excited to be exiting our invitation-only mode and opening up Project Fi so that people across the U.S. can now sign up for service without having to wait in line for an invite,” he said.

That said, it is important to note that only certain tablets and smartphones can connect to the Project Fi network. It may not be in invitation-only mode but Americans can use it only if they have the right devices. Certain tablets can connect, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S, iPad Mini 4 and the iPad Air 2 can connect exclusively to the data portion of the service. Talk and Text are available to people with a Nexus smartphone such as the 5X or 6P.

Google launches free WiFi for Mumbai commuters

| January 26, 2016

The Mumbai Central Train Station in India will now allow smartphone and tablet users to connect toll-free.

Google has now launched a free WiFi service at the Mumbai Central Train Station in India, which will allow passengers to be able to use their mobile devices to connect to the internet at no cost.

Upon the initial roll out, everyone from train passengers to vendors at the station shops were logging on.

Though that one Mumbai train station is the first to receive the free WiFi from Google, it won’t be the last. The plan is to connect 400 stations in order to considerably expand the reach of the company throughout the country. The initial impression that passengers were expressing was quite a positive one, as they used their smartphones and tablets to keep connected and occupied as they waited for their trains. According to Divya Patel, a student who was waiting to head home to Gujurat from Mumbai, “If my train is leaving, and I need to search, don’t know where to go, then immediately I will get the answer.” She also added that “This is very good, and good for everyone.”

This free WiFi is meant to be highly appealing in a country where there are 6 million new monthly internet users.

Free WiFi - GoogleThe population of India is a tremendous 1.25 billion. As this market experiences an exceptional growth in the number of people who are connecting to the internet, tech giants are paying close attention to the potential this offers them in mobile technology and related services. Google isn’t the only player that has been working to connect with this market, as other giants such as Microsoft and Facebook, in addition to eBay and Amazon have been trying to gain the attention of Indian consumers.

Of course, Western companies aren’t the only ones tapping into the mobile technology boom in India. There are also a number of e- and m-commerce companies from within India that have been reaching out to the population. While it’s true that they are notably smaller than the western corporations, they are experiencing their own significant growth due to the sheer size of the market and its opportunity.

There are over 23 million people who ride trains in India every day, and Google is hoping to appeal to those commuters by adding its free WiFi to the stations where those individuals spend a great deal of time waiting.