Google is exploring how it could launch its own carrier that rivals Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and
T-Mobile, Amir Efrati at The Information reports. Efrati says Google is thinking about how it
could offer wireless service in the places where it offers Google Fiber, like Kansas City, and
Provo. But that's not a very useful service. Mobile phones are, uhh, mobile, and so they go all
over the place. Google would have to roll out a service that covers the entire country. Not only
that, it needs to deliver fast, reliable data and voice service.
Google has been talking about being a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, to cover the
nation. As an MVNO, Google would lease a network from Sprint, AT&T, or Verizon. It would then
charge consumers for access. Amazon does this with some of its Kindle e-readers. That's how
users get free wireless access.
Efrati says, "For Google, a mobile offering would fit neatly into CEO Larry Page’s playbook. He
hasn’t been shy about discussing with subordinates his disdain for existing wireless carriers
and telecom companies, who he believes have been much too slow to upgrade their networks
and heavy-handed in trying to control the services that subscribers use on their devices."
If Google did a wireless network, it could be simply to apply pressure to carriers to lower prices
and become more consumer friendly.
Source: Business Insider