Google Rings Up Spain
September 30, 2011
Google continues to make many announcements. One caught our attention because it hooks into mobile and ultimately into mobile search.
As a multinational corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies, Google is jack of all trades company. Photographs were recently leaked, which may not be authentic, of a Google-branded SIM card, along with rumors that the search giant is branching out once again and setting up operations as a MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) in Spain.
Spanish Google employees will receive company branded SIM cards to test Google voice features on Nexis S Handsets. The company plans to eventually do MVNO testing with its employees all over Europe. According to the September 22, 2011 “Google to Become a Mobile Virtual Network Operator in Spain, Rest of Europe Coming Soon?”:
While Google doesn’t own its own towers or infrastructure (it buys bulk data from the local telecoms – in this case Telefonica, Vodafone, etc.), the move allows Google to control more of the phone experience. For instance, it can pay one price for bulk data rather than on a per phone basis. It can also dictate which carriers the phones pull in data from based on quality of service or price. Roaming internationally can also be controlled and owned as well.
Google appears to only be using this technology for it’s own staff, but could expand it’s operations in the future. This could lead to some disgruntled traditional telecommunication vendors.
Jasmine Ashton, September 30, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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