Credit: Google
Google’s Project Fi just got another boost.
Google on Tuesday announced Project Fi will now offer customers access to high speed data in more than 135 destinations worldwide.
The service, which formerly offered 2G speeds for international roaming, will now link to the fastest available network in the area, Google said. The upgraded speeds are 10 to 20 times faster than international speeds were before, the company said.
There are no additional fees for international data; users pay the same $10 per gigabit rate that they do in the United States, Google said.
According to Google, the speed bump is partially courtesy of a new partnership with wireless carrier Three, which offers service in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong and Indonesia. The partnership also allowed Google to add more locations to its roaming list, which formerly stood at just over 120 destinations.
The move comes amid a battle between wireless providers to woo globe-trotting customers with better international deals and will put pressure on U.S. carriers to up their game.
Back in November 2013, T-Mobile became the first U.S. carrier to offer free unlimited international roaming in more than 100 countries as part of its Un-carrier 3.0 initiative. As Project Fi did previously, T-Mobile capped roaming 2G speeds, but offered speed upgrades for a daily charge.
Sprint followed suit in April 2015 with free international roaming in parts of Asia, Europe and Latin America at 2G speeds. Sprint also offered upgrade packages to 3G speeds for a fee.
Though they may not all offer unlimited international data, all four major U.S. carriers, as well as several prepaid brands, now offer international calling features. And customers are reportedly taking advantage of the new calling options in droves.
According to a recent report from Verizon, customers on its daily-rate international TravelPass plan increased their data usage in Mexico by 880 percent just one year from 5 MB per day in March of 2015 to 49 MB per day in March of 2016. Similarly, data usage on TravelPass in Canada jumped tenfold from 8 MB per day in March 2015 to 80 MB per day among TravelPass customers in March 2016, Verizon said.
To provide a further incentive to prospective Project Fi users, Google said it will offer $150 off the Nexus 6P for one week starting at 1 p.m. ET today for users who activate with Project Fi.
Project Fi, originally offered as in invitation-only service, was made public in March. The service utilizes the networks of T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular in the United States.
