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Cheung: Google’s Wi-Fi cell service Project Fi corners market share

Even before exchanging pleasantries, anyone stepping into your home these days will ask, “What’s the Wi-Fi password?” We get upset when the hotel Wi-Fi isn’t as “high-speed” as advertised. We pull our hair out when we get booted off a network.

But Google hopes to flip the script on Wi-Fi. Through the new Project Fi, which was launched last Wednesday, Google will merge Wi-Fi networks together to create a seamless service that will replace traditional data plans from Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. The service is being marketed as a cheaper and faster alternative to data plans, but Google has a lot to gain from Project Fi’s success: promoting its existing products. And Google is also the only company, with the exception of Apple, that has the resources to make such an ambitious project happen.

This all sounds good to consumers, but the real winner with Project Fi would be Google. If connected to a Google Wi-Fi network, users would find it easier to video chat on Google Hangouts, make phone calls on Google Voice, send files on Google Drive, send emails on Gmail, etc. Project Fi would be an incredibly effective driving tool for increased use of Google products across the board.

Project Fi essentially takes about a million hotspots around the world and merges them into the “Fi Network,” on which users can connect and make phone calls. The service will also allow users to connect all their devices to one cell phone number, which would allow users to make phone calls on any of their devices, tablets and laptops included.

The service will start at $20 per month for unlimited talk, texts, some international calls and roaming. Every gigabyte of data costs $10 extra every month, although credit will be reimbursed to your bill for any purchased but unused gigabytes.



It also reinforces use of its already popular software: Android. As of February, Android and Apple’s iOS were nearly tied to U.S. smartphone market share, with Apple edging out Google by just 0.1 percent. The lower costs and flexibility of Project Fi could convince more Apple users to jump ship for an Android phone.

The only reason Google can pull off a trick like this is because it has the resources to do so. Project Fi is not a new idea — Best Buy, Staples, and Wal-Mart all offer wireless plans to their customers, although not all of them use Wi-Fi as strongly as Google plans to. But Google already has a strong footing in the mobile market and the infrastructure to play well with all of its Android platforms and Google products. This will convince consumers to trust Google and join the network.

The only other company that has the power to try something similar is Apple, which as of late has adopted an “anything you can do, I can do better” attitude toward Google. The Google-backed Moto 360 and Samsung Gear smartwatches came out long before the Apple Watch did, but Apple wanted to survey the competition before launching its own product. With Project Fi, Apple might find reason to connect all of its products to a seamless Wi-Fi network too. For now, Apple is likely just watching.

As it stands, Project Fi is only available to select users of the Nexus 6 phone, meaning consumers won’t see widespread use of Project Fi for a little while. Until then, you’ll just have to keep asking for the Wi-Fi password.

Brian Cheung is a senior broadcast and digital journalism and finance dual major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at bkcheung@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @bcheungz.





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