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Nokia cellular phones  Promotional Items |
An application filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission shows that Google wants to open its own small cellular network on its Mountain View campus. And it's another indicator of how dissatisfied Google is with the way mobile operators control the mobile Internet. Google explained to the FCC that the company wants to install up to 50 base stations in buildings on the west campus in Mountain View, about a block away from the building where all the Android work is being done. The experimental mobile network will use up to 200 devices, with no more than 200 meters of base station coverage in the buildings and no more than 1 kilometer outside. WSJ reports that the frequencies used are owned by ClearWire and are not compatible with devices sold in the United States. Only those used in China, Brazil, India and other countries. It's possible that Google is just experimenting with devices designed for those countries. Or perhaps it's trying to enter a whole new market. The search and advertising giant is rumored to be exploring the idea of providing wireless Internet service with TV provider Dish - given that the company recently deployed a high-speed access network in Kansas City and has a long history of confronting cellular providers in the fight for the freedom of mobile devices and their users. Google is lobbying the U.S. government to open up unused TV frequencies, as it already did in 2009, so that part of the spectrum could be used by any company or device, rather than being licensed to one company (see Super Wi-Fi). In 2008, the company filed a patent application for a system that would allow a mobile device to automatically connect to the cheapest cellular network available, rather than using one provider all the time. But it could be said that Google's most painful blow to cellular providers happened in 2010. The company abandoned the then reigning agreement on tying new devices to carrier contracts and offered its Nexus One smartphone not tied to any carrier for sale on its own website. The experiment lasted about six months, after which Google faced a flood of complaints from users and realized that consumers in the U.S. were apparently happier to pay significantly more for a device over two years than less, but up front. Google has since tried to play more sensibly with cellular networks. Still, the relationship is still strained, Google's contactless payment system is blocked at Verizon, and Android's tethering feature is also blocked at many carriers. It's too early to think that Google's private cellular network in Mountain View will add fuel to this once-extinct fire, but you never know - what if it does? |
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