A mixture of free wireless broadband connections and voice over Internet protocol applications will leave the mobile network market in the United States a smoldering unmourned wreck consigned to the scrapheap, but only in major cities.
Rumors of the Google Net have circulated far and wide over the past several months. Recently, British research firm Visiongain reported how Google sits on the cusp of becoming a major player in the mobile phone network market in two years.
Visiongain bases its analysis on Google’s partnership with EarthLink in providing free wireless access in the San Francisco market. By 2008, Google could have its wireless antennas in a number of major US cities, and deliver access not just to PCs equipped to pick up Google’s access and advertising, but to mobile phones as well.
“With sufficient potential to expand operations throughout the US and into Europe, Google could become one of the first Wireless Virtual Network Operators, presenting a significant threat to the traditional voice business of cellular/mobile operators,” Visiongain said in the report.
One of their analysts expanded on that topic:
“The argument that Wi-Fi and cellular are complimentary rather than competitive depends on who is operating the service,” comments report author Adam Walkden. “Google’s successful advertising based business model allows the company to offer services for free. If it can convert this business model to include local based advertising to Wi-Fi users, it poses a significant threat to mobile operators.”
Walkden continues, “By providing free wireless networks, Google can attract new users whilst keeping existing users on Google for longer. Targeting wireless users with local adverts will aid future revenue growth.”
Visiongain also noted Google’s push into the mobile search market. Google has partnerships with several providers like Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and Vodafone to provide mobile search for them. Also, Google has deals in place with Opera software that makes Google Search the default search engine in the Opera Mobile and Opera Mini browsers.
For the wireless market, Visiongain envisions that Google/EarthLink partnership delivering free VoIP along with Web browsing and connections to Google services like Gmail, Calendar, and the much-rumored GDrive file storage service in a number of big cities. In a way, that would contribute to Google’s self-stated goal of organizing all the world’s information.
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David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
