Google’s wireless service, “Project Fi,” is official, but invite only

Google has just launched the site for "Project Fi," its heavily rumored MVNO service. The service combines Sprint and T-Mobile along with Wi-Fi and will seamlessly switch between the networks. Google has an interactive coverage map here.

The up-front pricing seems pretty standard. It requires a "Fi Basics" plan, which is $20 a month for unlimited talk and texting, plus taxes. Data is an additional $10 per gigabyte a month. So a $20 basics plan plus 3GB a month would be $50, $5 more than Straight Talk charges for the same thing-but that's only if you actually use the data. The unique aspect of the billing is that you "never pay for unused data." Your account gets credited, in money, for data you don't use. The example shows an unused 0.6GB of data gets you $6 back, so credits aren't limited to 1GB increments; overages work the same way, with no extra fees. Google also allows Wi-Fi tethering.

The data works in "120+ countries," and it still costs the same $10 per gigabyte that it does in the US. The catch is that you're limited to 256Kbps, or about 3G speeds. International texts are unlimited, and international calls cost 20 cents per minute.

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