Google Wireless Service Undercuts Phone Plans

Google launched a wireless service across much of the U.S. on Wednesday with terms that challenge many of the lucrative practices that underpin an industry dominated by AT&T Inc.,Verizon Communications Inc.,T-Mobile US Inc. and Sprint Corp, the Wall Street Journal reported . Google said its new service, called Project Fi, will cost $20 a month for talk and texts, including Wi-Fi hookups and international coverage in more than 120 countries, and another $10 per gigabyte of data used each month. That makes the plan between $15 and $20 a month cheaper than many competing offers from the major carriers. In a departure from typical industry practice, Google said it would credit the accounts of customers who don’t use all their data in a given month, and the service will default to free Wi-Fi airwaves when available. The move complicates Google’s relationship with carriers it depends upon to promote and distribute phones that use its Android operating system and Google apps. But it is part of a growing effort by the company to expand access to the Internet and make it more affordable, steps that could mean more customers for its others services such as search and YouTube. The caveat is Google’s wireless offering has a long way to go to prove itself. Initially, it is invitation-only and available on just one phone—Google’s Nexus 6—so people who own iPhones won’t have access. Its carrier-switching technology lacks a strong commercial track record, and Google is untested as a wireless operator, so people who sign up will be guinea pigs in an uncertain experiment.