- Jun 23, 2001
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http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/30/technology/google_wireless_carrier/index.htm
Interesting read, even if it is from CNN Tech.
I'd be curious to see how they'd work out. Might be a better option than current carriers, if you can get an open phone with solid specs. In the early phases, they could supplement their coverage with GVoice/VOIP/WiFi calls, similar to what T-Mo does now.
Their collection of personal data can be very Big Brother-ish at times, but there should be work arounds.
Interesting read, even if it is from CNN Tech.
Google has assembled all the pieces it needs to be a mobile provider like Verizon, AT&T (T, Fortune 500) or Sprint (S, Fortune 500).
But its biggest weapon is Google Voice, the hit low-cost calling service that launched in May 2009. Just five months later, the service had 1.4 million users -- almost half of whom were using it every single day.
Buying the infrastructure: In 2008, Google put in a bid to buy wireless spectrum to provide mobile Internet access -- spectrum that ultimately went to Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) for its new 4G network. Rumors that Google is buying up "dark fiber," broadband cables that have been laid but are not in use, have been widely circulated, though never confirmed.
Connecting customers: In February, the company announced that it will become an Internet provider of "ultra high-speed broadband" for up to 500,000 customers for a U.S. city. That project is still under development, but Google is about to start testing its service out at Stanford University.
Still, Google has the funds and the resources to get it done. All that's left is the will to do it.
We asked. Google declined to comment.
I'd be curious to see how they'd work out. Might be a better option than current carriers, if you can get an open phone with solid specs. In the early phases, they could supplement their coverage with GVoice/VOIP/WiFi calls, similar to what T-Mo does now.
Their collection of personal data can be very Big Brother-ish at times, but there should be work arounds.