Google has dramatically expanded its experimental mobile virtual network, Project Fi, enabling customers to access the network in 135 different countries and stay connected while travelling.

Project Fi, which launched in the US in 2015, is an experimental unit similar to Googles Project Fiber, which aimed to improve standards in broadband by disrupting the market and causing traditional internet providers to compete.

Project Fi is only available on Nexus 6 handsets, and uses existing network infrastructure from operators Sprint and T-Mobile in the US, along with wi-fi hotspots. The overseas expansion will see the project working with Three in order to cover areas outside the US.

The expansion will also see the removal of the existing data speed cap that Google originally implemented for travellers tapping into the network while overseas. According to Google, the change will provide users with speeds 10 to 20 times faster than before while outside the US.

“When youre traveling abroad, your phone is an essential tool – for finding a great restaurant, posting pics of your trip online, or translating a sign,” said Tyler Kugler, product manager for Project Fi in a blog post announcing the changes.

“Leaving home shouldnt mean leaving connectivity behind. with the addition of faster speeds and more countries for the same fair price, were one step closer to making your phone as easy to use abroad as it is at home.”

Google has given no indication that Project Fi will become available internationally, and given the way Project Fiber operated, it is unlikely that the firm will maintain the virtual network indefinitely, instead aiming to improve the overall quality of the US mobile network market. Hopefully, those effects will also impact customers elsewhere in the world.

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