There’s an interesting piece in Unstrung which ends with the suggestion that it might make sense for Google to enter the operator business — not via an MVNO, but by simply buying Sprint. ”
“That’s been the rumor swirling about Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), which is purportedly eyeing Sprint Nextel Corp, and such an acquisition could make even more sense for Google, which can afford to virtually give away both minutes and phones. Other carriers would then balk at offering Google content and services; but if users are faced with a choice between conventional calling plans, with limited content, and cheap-to-free Google devices and dataplans, that refusal could become suicidal.”
It’s true that Google sees mobile as integral to its future, especially in markets like Latin America and Asia Pacific, and Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt has predicted free phone services supported by ads, that’s a far cry from completely changing a business model. Why wouldn’t Google just buy an ISP or two? That being said, the company is/has been involved in a trial for free WiFi…
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