Ike Elliott explains the ramifications of Google winning the 700 megahertz spectrum auction and prognosticates about Google being a different kind of mobile operator.
This is where services and technology which Google has either acquired or built starts to make sense. Using an all IP based back end, Google takes IP to the edge and operates it from the core. Very neat and not like your father's mobile phone company in my book.
The big loser in all this will not be AT&T, but most likely Sprint. Sprint wants to have WiMax but is having their fits with likely cuts before the program gets running. AT&T or Verizon are likely the other player in the auction, but I think big T is the likely incumbent, while Google is the newcomer.
I agree that Google + 700Mhz is going to be game-changing. As I commented on Ike's post, I think Voice over WiFi is going to remain problematic for a long time. (Lack of sign-on standards, signal stability, power consumption...)
And speaking of "services and technology which Google has acquired"... what's up w GrandCentral? Seven months later... still closed to new sign-ups.
Seriously though, my head starts spinning when I think about Google + 700Mhz + Android + GrandCentral + Jaiku.
Posted by: Shai Berger | January 17, 2008 at 08:06 PM