Google offers instant Project Fi invites to celebrate Nexus 5X shipments
The first of two new Google Nexus phones began shipping on Monday to those who pre-ordered and the company is instantly approving Project Fi invites for a limited time to celebrate.
It helps that the now-shipping Nexus 5X is one of three phones that officially support Project Fi, Google's triple-network service with seamless handoff between Wi-Fi calls and two cellular networks.
The Project Fi SIM card -- along with supported hardware -- works for voice and LTE data with both T-Mobile and Sprint. Google shared the 24-hour instant invite news on Twitter, along with a link to make the request.
Project Fi also works with last year's Google Nexus 6 and this year's Nexus 6P, built by Huawei. The Nexus 6P
Google Nexus 5X by LG product image gallery
My colleague Matthew Miller has review units of both new Nexus handsets and he makes a strong case for their use in business.
Since the phones run on a stock version of Google Android and receive their software updates directly from Google, they're likely to be more up to date. Google has also promised monthly security updates for all Nexus devices.
Adding a Project Fi SIM card to any of them could make sense for enterprise or bring your own device workers as well.
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For one thing, companies could save money because with Project Fi, you pay for what you use. There's a $20 monthly flat fee for unlimited voice minutes and text messages, while LTE data adds another $10 per GB.
That's not the cheapest rate for a data plan but if employees only use 500 MB in one month, for example, Google credits the unused data cost of $5 on the next bill. Employees that routinely use several gigabytes of mobile broadband would be better served by a traditional plan.
What they won't get, however, with most such plans is the triple network redundancy that Project Fi offers with support for Wi-Fi, Sprint and T-Mobile.
Project Fi welcome kit
Note that for those interested in purchasing either a Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P, you can do so on a monthly installment plan with Google. Those plans actually require Project Fi activation -- and come with a supporting SIM card -- so if you miss out on the instant request window, that's another way to get in on Project Fi relatively quick.
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