Until recently, that is. Android lice thinks it has a good hle on the details. The Android-focused site recently came across a system image for the Nexus 6 apparently containing an app for the -ified mobile service. After treating the app to a teardown, it revealed a lot about ’s mobile ambitions such as flat rate pricing, roll over data usage, Voice porting, ads based on your call history, shared data pools between multiple devices. y this matters: is very interested in shaking up entrenched businesses that impact how people use the web—’s key revenue generator. That’s what prompted the company to create Fiber, which offers blazing fast Internet in a number of areas across the U.S. Since the introduction of Fiber, IS like AT&T Comcast have started bumping up connection speeds dropping prices in Fiber areas to better compete. th ’s carrier project it hopes to encourage the big four mobile providers to change the way they do business.
oject Fi
The working name for ’s upcoming carrier effort is oject Fi, according to Android lice’s teardown. ether that’s the final name or a placeholder is unclear, but we’ll stick with that name for now. oject Fi will reportedly have its own dedicated app that will let you carry out most of what you need for using the service, including activation, resuming or putting service on hold, paying bills, switching plans, tracking data usage. Based on Android lice’s discoveries, will rely on the networks of Sprint T-Mobile to provide its services. already knew that ’s carrier service would be a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) since the alternative is to construct its own network of cell towers across the U.S. It’s also no surprise that would choose Sprint T-Mobile. The names of both companies have been thrown around for some time when discussing oject Fi. us, most MVNOs in the U.S. rely on Sprint T-Mobile for connectivity. In February, reports surfaced that said ’s oject Fi phones would be able to switch between Sprint T-Mobile networks to always have the strongest possible signal. ke many other MVNOs, oject Fi is expected to default to using -Fi whenever possible to save on network usage.
Flat rates, rollovers
oject Fi will reportedly use flat rate pricing for everything. You start with flat rate packages for voice text, then choose from data plans starting at 1GB moving up from there. You’ll also have the option to pool data between multiple devices. us, any unused data will apparently roll over to the next month. Roll over data is a great thing, but it’s not clear what kind of time limits roll over data will have. MMS (media texts) will apparently be extra beyond the talk text packages, which isn’t unheard of with MVNOs. It’s also pretty irrelevant considering all the messaging services you can use to send photos videos over a data connection. oject Fi will offer free calling text throughout the U.S. (as you’d expect from any carrier), with low rates for international calling. esumably, these rates will be similar to what you get now on Hangouts Voice—at least if you’re on -Fi.
l about the ads
It wouldn’t be a service if the company didn’t figure out a way to deliver more targeted ads to you. Android lice’s teardown suggests will use your call history to better target ads. Call a flower shop a church in the same day on oject Fi, you might see wedding-themed ads pop up the next time you do a search. For those who don’t like this idea there will reportedly be an opt-out button, but keep in mind that, as your carrier, already has your call history. Those are the big takeaways from oject Fi. It appears you’ll be able to pay for a oject Fi-compatible Nexus 6 in installments. evious rumors suggested oject Fi would be a Nexus 6-only affair at launch. oject Fi may let you port your Voice number over to the service. The carrier may also let you switch between primary phones not by swapping a SIM card between devices, but by tapping a button in the oject Fi smartphone app. should learn more about oject Fi in late May during the I/O developer conference. The company routinely introduces new products services at I/O.
