Google just announced Fiber Phone, a new service for home phones using Google Fiber. It costs ten dollars a month for unlimited local and nationwide calling, and uses the same rates as Google Voice for international calls.
Customers can keep their old phone numbers or get new ones. The service includes call waiting, caller ID, and 911. It also offers voice message transcribing for texts and email. There are also privacy controls like spam filtering, call screening, and do-not-disturb.
“Whether it’s calling mom or ordering take-out, we rely on our phones to help reach the people and things that matter,” says Google Fiber product manager John Shriver-Blake. “And while mobile phones have pushed us toward the future, home phone service is still important to many families. Landlines can be familiar, reliable and provide high-quality service, but the technology hasn’t always kept up. That’s why today, we’re introducing Fiber Phone as a new option to help you stay connected wherever you are.”
“Fiber Phone can help you make the most of your home phone—even when you’re not at home,” he says. “Adding Fiber Phone means getting access on the road, in the office, or wherever you are. Your Fiber Phone number lives in the cloud, which means that you can use it on almost any phone, tablet or laptop. It can ring your landline when you’re home, or your mobile device when you’re on-the-go.”
Eventually, Fiber Phone will be available to customers in all Fiber cities, but for now, it will only be in a few areas. There’s a sign-up form here for when it makes it to your area.
It’s unclear at this point what the first areas with access will be. Current Fiber cities include Provo, Austin, Kansas City, and Atlanta with service upcoming for San Francisco, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Nashville, Huntsville, Charlotte, and Raleigh-Durham. The following are listed as potential Fiber cities: Portland, San Jose, Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Louisville, Tampa, and Jacksonville.
Image via Google