Two 5G Networks, One Fi Connection: Google Is Bringing Back Multiple Cell Network Support for Better Coverage

Automatic switching returns

The new feature, which Google calls a “super network,” is designed to move Fi users between two 5G networks when one offers better connectivity. The rollout begins today, but access is limited to Pixel 9 and newer phones.

Eligible phones must have Google Fi active on eSIM, with any non-Fi SIMs disabled. Google Fi’s FAQs currently identify T-Mobile as the network providing its coverage.

A changed network landscape

When Fi launched in 2015, customers could switch between T-Mobile and Sprint. That arrangement ended after T-Mobile acquired Sprint in 2020, although network switching remained available internationally. Jane Harnett, Google Fi Wireless senior product manager, said Fi stopped offering the US feature because mergers and consolidation limited its access to multiple networks. Harnett declined to name the networks that will power the returning service.

How the new system works

Harnett said the new switching method is faster than Fi’s earlier approach and uses eSIM technology to connect to multiple carriers at once. Previously, single-SIM switching could connect to only one network at a time.

Under that system, a phone had to lose service before it began a slow SIM profile change, without knowing whether the next network had better coverage. Fi also tried dual-SIM versions that required both a physical SIM and an eSIM, which could take longer to switch.