Mobile By Ryan Whitwam Dec. 16, 2015 10:28 am
Google’s long-awaited mobile carrier was finally unveiled earlier this year, however, it’s only been for phone lines so far. Now, Google is offering Fi subscribers the option of adding tablet data lines to their accounts, and there’s an important distinction between this plan and all the ones you can get from traditional carriers — there’s no monthly fee. You just pay a flat rate based on how much data is used.
Project Fi operates on T-Mobile, Sprint, and WiFi as a way to fill in gaps in coverage. Phones will switch to the signal that’s best, however, tablets will only operate on T-Mobile’s network. Fi’s phone plans are $20 monthly plus $10 per gigabyte of data used, however, you’re credited at the end of the month for unused data in those blocks. The tablet lines don’t have that $20 access fee, or any access fee actually. You just pay that $10-per-gigabyte cost and get unused data credited back. Regular carriers usually charge $10 to $20 per month for a tablet line no matter if it sits unused or not.
full list of tablets that are compatible, however, it says you should be fine with the Nexus 7 2013, Nexus 9, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4, and Galaxy Tab S. Other tablets might be compatible too (I’d wager anything with T-Mobile’s LTE bands), however, the only way to know for sure is to order a Fi SIM and plug it in.
The option to order a data-only SIM should be rolling out to all Fi accounts in the coming days. So yes, that means you have to already be a Fi subscriber to have a Fi tablet data plan.