If Android/Open Hand Alliance is suggestive of the movie Ocean's Thirteen then Google's ambition to bid on 700 MHz wireless spectrum is very similar to Bourne Ultimatum.
According to Wall Street Journal, the search engine giant is willing to pay $4.6 billion but opted to do it alone to avoid "alienating allies by selecting some and not as others as bid partners".
The rationale of this strategic move is to make the wireless world more open and competitive, something that is very welcome among many American mobile consumers held hostage with the current anti-consumer policies and lousy customer service.
Google also views open wireless networks as key to SideStep any telephone and cable company efforts to make it difficult for consumers to access Google services, or to charge Google to deliver the services to consumers over their Internet connections.
To ensure the success of its bid, Google hired game-theory specialists to guide its auction strategies. The company can't afford any mistake because the frequencies at stake are very valuable since they "carry well over long distances, potentially requiring fewer transmission towers to cover large areas."
All I can say is good luck, Google. I hope this will create a paradigm shift in the entire mobile industry and topple the inefficient practices today.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Let’s go Google, give us free cell phones with unlimited data