Google's wireless service would look for best Sprint, T-Mobile or Wi-Fi signal

Himanshu Arora

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Staff

After last week's reports that Google had entered into an agreement with T-Mobile and Sprint to sell wireless service directly to consumers, it wasn't exactly clear why the company would strike deals with both carriers.The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that Google's service would look for the best available cellular or Wi-Fi signal to route calls, texts, and data.

The search giant's aim is to provide the best and fastest wireless service without users having to worry about a long-term relationship with a carrier, the report notes, adding that the MVNO service could be launched in the first half of this year and would likely be offered nationwide.

While it was earlier being speculated that the service would be inexpensive, the new report says that lowering prices isn't the goal. However, it also added that Google's technology for switching between services based on quality could be used to consider price in the future.

Playing it safe, Sprint has reportedly put volume triggers into its contract, allowing the company to renegotiate the deal if Google's customer base grows exponentially. It isn't yet clear if there are similar clauses in T-Mobile's contract.

It may be wishful thinking, but Google appears to be looking for ways to disrupt the traditional wireless model, though of course there are many challenges ahead that it would have to overcome for the service to succeed. That includes handling customers directly. “Resellers, or people leasing the network from carriers, have been around for 15 years,” said Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo. “It’s a complex issue.”

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