Google Project Fi adds support for tablets

Google's Project Fi hybrid MVNO allows use of Wi-Fi hotspots for voice, text and data. For subscribers connected to either the Sprint or T-Mobile network, when out of range, Project Fi offers three handsets - Nexus 6, Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X – to enable communication.

Google announced yesterday that customers, who had received an invitation to join, could now add a tablet to their data plan.

Project Fi members could add up to nine tablets to his/her account, sharing purchased data with the user's phone. Subscriber to the service has to pay $20 a month for unlimited talk and text. Data is priced at $10 for each GB purchased. The customer will be refunded the cost of unused data at the end of each month.

Unlike the three handsets, which connected to the T-Mobile or Sprint network depending on which one was stronger at the moment, data-only devices use T-Mobile's network only, in the absence of a Wi-Fi signal. The tablets that connected to the Project Fi pipeline included the Nexus 7 (2013), the Nexus 9, Samsung Galaxy Tab S, Apple iPad Air 2 and the Apple iPad Mini 4.

One can order a Data-Only SIM card for one's device by going to Project Fi Account > Your Plan > Add Data-Only SIM. A SIM adapter was required for the Nexus 7 or the Galaxy Tab S.

According to commentators, the addition of tablet support was a sign of Google's growing ambitions in the wireless business and reflected its push for change in the industry. Googole had also been experimenting with features like a seamless handoff between a cellular and Wi-Fi networks, they add.

The move also meant additional choices for customers as Google expanded the service to additional devices, including ones made by rival Apple. Project Fi offered consumers who were looking for broader coverage for their tablets - say, away from home or a coffee shop with a Wi-Fi hotspot - a cheaper alternative to traditional cellular wireless plans. Under the plans customers had to often pay an extra fee just for the privilege of connecting a tablet.

"As the number and variety of connected devices continue to grow, so should the number of wireless options," Laura Holmes, senior product manager for Project Fi, said in a blog post on Tuesday. "We'll continue to experiment with creative ways to make accessing wireless from your connected device as easy as connecting with your phone."