Google plan to become a MVNO could partner with T-Mobile and/or Spint

[Shilohcane]

Google's Sundar Pichai said at the Mobile World Congress that Google will announce in a few months their plans to become a MVNO wireless service. Think at Goggle I/O which is the last week in May for this announcement. Google has told AT&T and Verizon that Google has no plan to become a cell phone service at scale and will partner in the USA with current Wireless companies that will share their spectrum and cell towers. Google is looking at proving cutting edge technology for everyone to implement that technology around the world. Google will split the revenue with the Wireless partners around the world. Google has very ambitious technology goals of adding "Floating Cell Towers in the Sky" with Google's Project Loon (balloons) and Project Titan (planes). Earlier reports said that Google struck a deal with T-Mobile and Sprint to resell wireless services on their networks, essentially making Google an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator).

MWC: Google Talks Projects Titan, Loon And Becoming An MVNO

 

[Almeuit]

I will be curious when they come out with more details. The earlier reports did say T-Mobile and Sprint but it wasn't confirmed IIRC.

 

[Shilohcane]

Additional details on Google becoming a MVNO.

Google thinks its internet balloons could be a $10 billion business

 

[Shilohcane]

I will be curious when they come out with more details. The earlier reports did say T-Mobile and Sprint but it wasn't confirmed IIRC.

True but I don't think AT&T or Verizon would want in. Verizon has congestion issues with LTE data capacity now. Also, don't think Verizon works with any NVNO now. AT&T works with lots of NVNO including their 100% owned Cricket NVNO. I Don't see AT&T doing this either since they also know it will lower the cost of their current wireless services.

I see only two players T-Mobile or Sprint since Google will want a national carriers instead of a lot of Regional players like US Cellular, Cspire, iWireless...etc. It would cost Google too much contract work and take too much time to integrate with the approximately 30 facilities-based wireless service providers in the USA.

Dish Network owns the 5th most wireless spectrum in the US but they have zero Cell Tower or Wireless infrastructure. Dish could lease Google, Sprint or T-Mobile mid-band spectrum but under FCC rules under the 25% discount (25 percent discount for being designated entities) they got in the auction they can only lease 25% of their total spectrum. Dish could provide Google spectrum for Google project Titan and Loon floating cell towers but it must be integrated into T-Mobiles or Sprint's cell tower infrastructure to be any good for Google as a NVNO.

Let's face it this Project Loon and Titan is just the kind of stuff that T-Mobile's John Legere loves to get involved with to damage AT&T and Verizon.

 

[raptir]

True but I don't think AT&T or Verizon would want in. Verizon has congestion issues with LTE data capacity now. Also, don't think Verizon works with any NVNO now. AT&T works with lots of NVNO including their 100% owned Cricket NVNO. I Don't see AT&T doing this either since they also know it will lower the cost of their current wireless services.

I doubt that Verizon would partner with Google, but they do have deals with other MVNOs. Selectel, Page Plus and Straight Talk etc... all offer Verizon service.

I'm not entirely sure I see the benefit of partnering with Sprint though. If you look at their coverage maps, Sprint's native coverage is almost entirely redundant with T-Mobile. The main area where Sprint has an advantage is through their roaming agreement with Verizon, and I can't imagine that would pass through to Google.

 

[Shilohcane]

I'm not entirely sure I see the benefit of partnering with Sprint though. If you look at their coverage maps, Sprint's native coverage is almost entirely redundant with T-Mobile. The main area where Sprint has an advantage is through their roaming agreement with Verizon, and I can't imagine that would pass through to Google.

With all respect you are missing the idea that Google is going to use their own "Floating Cell Towers in the Sky" from Project Loon & Titan in conjuration with traditional land based cell tower connected with fibre optic backhaul. Google is pushing technology for remote areas looking for using their floating cell towers in the sky where the traditional cell towers now has Limited coverage. Google isn't looking to become a traditional cell service provider it's primary idea is invent better wireless technology that the major carriers can copy. Google MVNO wireless service can't work without traditional cell towers or their service would be regional like Google Fiber. Google needs to partner with wireless service providers that have strong cell service into metro areas and backhaul infrastructure but Google needs LTE spectrum more than land based towers to get this crazy idea off the ground.

Sprint has a massive 2.5 GHz Broadband Radio Service (BRS) spectrum to expand and improve its LTE network. Sprint has 120 to 150 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the top 100 markets due to Spint's purchase of ClearWire Corp. Dish Network has no cell towers but they have a lot of un-used Spectrum but all Dish provides is spectrum and not cell tower and backhaul infrastructure. Don't be surprised if Dish Network that owns the 5th most spectrum in the US to either leases or has a limited partnership with Googles MVNO for just it's spectrum.

 

[raptir]

With all respect you are missing the idea that Google is going to use their own "Floating Cell Towers in the Sky" from Project Loon & Titan in conjuration with traditional land based cell tower connected with fibre optic backhaul. Google is pushing technology for remote areas looking for using their floating cell towers in the sky where the traditional cell towers now has Limited coverage. Google isn't looking to become a traditional cell service provider it's primary idea is invent better wireless technology that the major carriers can copy. Google MVNO wireless service can't work without traditional cell towers or their service would be regional like Google Fiber. Google needs to partner with wireless service providers that have strong cell service into metro areas and backhaul infrastructure but Google needs LTE spectrum more than land based towers to get this crazy idea off the ground.

Sprint has a massive 2.5 GHz Broadband Radio Service (BRS) spectrum to expand and improve its LTE network. Sprint has 120 to 150 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the top 100 markets due to Spint's purchase of ClearWire Corp. Dish Network has no cell towers but they have a lot of un-used Spectrum but all Dish provides is spectrum and not cell tower and backhaul infrastructure. Don't be surprised if Dish Network that owns the 5th most spectrum in the US to either leases or has a limited partnership with Googles MVNO for just it's spectrum.

I absolutely understand the concept and I certainly understand partnering with T-Mobile and potentially Dish for their spectrum. It's Sprint I'm not sold on. The 2.5GHz spectrum is nice but the lack of building penetration makes T-Mobile and Dish's AWS more useful in those circumstances. If Google intends on using Project Loon to expand to more rural areas in the US they will need some low frequency spectrum, not the BRS that Sprint brings to the table. If Sprint had a good amount of built-out coverage that T-Mobile was lacking, sure, but from the coverage maps it doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[Shilohcane]

Best video I have found on Google Project Titan (planes). The video said about the 4G wireless market, that one Titan flying at 65,000 feet could replace up to 100 cell towers.

"There are actually two models of the Solara in the works. The Solara 50 will have a 50-meter (164-foot) wingspan, a length of 15.5 meters (54 ft), weigh just 159 kg (350 lb), and offer a payload capacity of over 32 kg (70 lb). The larger Solara 60 will be 60 meters (197 feet) across, with the ability to carry up to 100 kg (250 lb).

On either version, the upper wing and tail surfaces of the plane will be covered in approximately 3,000 solar cells, allowing it to generate up to seven kilowatts of power during the day – at a cruising altitude of 20 km (65,000 feet), the aircraft will be above the clouds and unaffected by weather disturbances. Hundreds of watts of that power will be stored in its onboard lithium-ion batteries, to keep its motor, autopilot, sensors and telemetry systems running throughout the night.

The Solara’s cruising speed will be about 104 km/h (65 mph), and it will have an operating range of over 4.5 million kilometers (about 2.8 million miles). That said, most of the aircraft’s uses will likely involve it flying in circles over a given area.

Additionally, Titan points out that one of the aircraft could provide cell phone coverage for an area of over 6,500 square miles (16,800 sq km), offering the reach of over 100 ground-based towers. " http://www.gizmag.com/solara-uav-atmospheric-satellite/28886/

 

[raptir]

Page plus is actually still owned by verizon, similarly how att owns cricket and metro is owned by TMobile. ( metro ,cricket ,page plus, are NOT mvno's) they are terminating the contract with straight talk. This is why straight talk is pushing for people to do the byod gsm plans, that's on att or tmobile

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From what I can see Page Plus is owned by America Movil, not Verizon.

Page Plus Cellular - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Any source on it being owned by Verizon?