One of the big announcements to come through from Google last year was the introduction of their own MVNO service, Project Fi, which looked to offer consumers an affordable cellular service with plan prices starting from only $20. What makes Project Fi a little different to other similar MVNO services though, is its ability to not be solely reliant on just one network. Instead, project Fi makes use of both T-Mobile and Sprint networks (as well as Wi-Fi connections) to offer its users a far more reliable level of service. If the signal is better with one carrier in a certain area then Project Fi is able to bounce to that more reliable network. Now, it looks like its ability to bounce to the most reliable service has gotten even better.
Google has today announced that U.S. Cellular is joining Project Fi as a network partner. The announcement from Google notes that U.S. Cellular is “one of the top mobile networks in the U.S.” and draws on the fact that they offer service in as many as 23 states “with 4G LTE coverage for more than 99% of their subscribers.” As a result, when combining the U.S. Cellular network with that of T-Mobile and Sprint, Google is hoping to widen the reliability of its Project Fi service even more, offering those who encounter problems in select urban and rural areas when bouncing between T-Mobile and Sprint, an additional option.
If you are already a Project Fi user then there is very little to do to start making use of the newly added U.S. Cellular network support. The Google announcement notes that the U.S. Cellular coverage will automatically begin rolling out to existing users during the coming weeks. So soon enough you will just be able to make use of the additional network support to find the best signal without even trying. Unfortunately, for those who do not currently own a Project Fi compatible smartphone, the announcement did not provide any details on the widening of the compatibility. Those interested in reading the full blog post or finding out more about Project Fi, can do so by heading through the source link below.