Eric Schmidt will put Google’s money where the company’s mouth is in January when the bidding begins for the highly valued 700MHz spectrum.
Slowly the GoogleNet is coming together. Google has been building toward this for some time. Recent developments like the unveiling of their Open Handset Alliance, the inclusion of the Dalvik VM in the Android SDK, and now Google’s announcement that it will enter the bidding for wireless spectrum, all point to a tremendous shift in the way people use wireless devices.
“We already know that regardless of which bidders ultimately win the auction, consumers will be the real winners either way. This is because the eventual winner of a key portion of this spectrum will be required to give its customers the right to download any application they want on their mobile device, and the right to use any device they want on the network (assuming the C Block reserve price of $4.6 billion is met in the auction),” said Chris Sacca on the Google Public Policy blog.
That’s all well and good, but it isn’t nearly as important as what Google could do with the spectrum. Imagine if its GPhones arrive with a nominal price tag and immediate access to the 700MHz wireless GoogleNet, with open applications that make VoIP calls and browse the web, all in an ad-supported environment.
They may not replace cellphones for some people, but they could be complementary devices for those who use their regular cellphone for critical business and family reasons. The GPhone would be right there for checking GMail at the airport, reading a weather report for the destination city, and buying a gift for whoever may miss the traveler the most while he’s away.
