Google today announced that it has launched its long-rumored wireless phone service called Project Fi.
The company has partnered with Sprint and T-Mobile to brand its own wireless service on the Nexus 6 phone, and is doing so in unique ways:
“As you go about your day, Project Fi automatically connects you to more than a million free, open Wi-Fi hotspots we’ve verified as fast and reliable,” the company said in a blog announcement. “Once you’re connected, we help secure your data through encryption. When you’re not on Wi-Fi, we move you between whichever of our partner networks (Sprint or T-Mobile) is delivering the fastest speed, so you get 4G LTE in more places.”
Reports first emerged in January that Google intended to introduce a wireless service with Sprint and T-Mobile. Sundar Pichai, Google’s head of products, later confirmed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that Google was experimenting with the idea of a small-scale wireless service.
Above: the new Project Fi logo, courtesy of Google.