Google: Your new phone carrier?(techcrunch.com)
techcrunch.com
Google: Your new phone carrier?
http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/30/google-carrier/
15 comments
> Carriers still "own" customer contact in most countries. If they decide to be really afraid of Google, they will stop helping Android adoption.
I wonder how they might do this. Possibilities I can think of:
A) Stop releasing Android phones and use WP7 and such (similarly risky, if it's actually something the market wants).
B) Keep using Android but make more deals like the one that put Bing as the unchangeable default search on the Galaxy S.
C) Fork/rebrand Android and make their own derivative.
B seems most likely--same platform so they can benefit from Google's development, but with Google services blocked.
I wonder how they might do this. Possibilities I can think of:
A) Stop releasing Android phones and use WP7 and such (similarly risky, if it's actually something the market wants).
B) Keep using Android but make more deals like the one that put Bing as the unchangeable default search on the Galaxy S.
C) Fork/rebrand Android and make their own derivative.
B seems most likely--same platform so they can benefit from Google's development, but with Google services blocked.
They won't do any of the above directly. Carriers don't make phones, but they do market and sell them (because they own the customer). They'll simply refuse to do so for Android phones that aren't neutered in ways acceptable to them.
"Hey Motorola, of course we'll do a big marketing push for the Droid 9000, so long as it complies with our guidelines for handsets on our network. You have made sure users can't install Google Voice, haven't you? What's that? They can install any software they want? Well, maybe we'll just go for that Samsung device instead. See you next product cycle."
"Hey Motorola, of course we'll do a big marketing push for the Droid 9000, so long as it complies with our guidelines for handsets on our network. You have made sure users can't install Google Voice, haven't you? What's that? They can install any software they want? Well, maybe we'll just go for that Samsung device instead. See you next product cycle."
I would love to have Google as my carrier. Google is by no means my favorite corp (I trust them less than Microsoft, personally, though probably more than Facebook and Apple), but they're angels compared to Verizon and AT&T.
Becoming a wireless carrier would not play to Google's strengths. Google generally succeeds in markets where they can leverage smart engineers to serve hundreds of millions of users. They tend to fail in markets which require human interaction or physical presence.
Google does, however, have strategic interest in keeping the mobile internet market as competitive as possible. So I would expect them to chip away at the carriers indirectly, much as they use Chrome to chip away at the IE hegemony, or as they use Android to chip away at the iOS.
Google does, however, have strategic interest in keeping the mobile internet market as competitive as possible. So I would expect them to chip away at the carriers indirectly, much as they use Chrome to chip away at the IE hegemony, or as they use Android to chip away at the iOS.
Personally, I would love to see Google in the carrier business, but it would be a huge risk to their brand/image.
Most everyone loves Google right now. Most everyone hates wireless carriers. So, it sounds like it could be a good opportunity. But there are reasons people hate carriers that are either outside of the carriers' control or too costly to fix completely on a global level (ie. spotty coverage, slow connections, great expectations, etc)
Even if Google became the #1 carrier, their valuable, mostly unblemished image could take a big hit.
Google's ability to simplify/scale technology for the masses (Google search, Gmail) won't help as much when it comes to dealing with frustrated customers on the telephone who want to speak to someone right now.
Most everyone loves Google right now. Most everyone hates wireless carriers. So, it sounds like it could be a good opportunity. But there are reasons people hate carriers that are either outside of the carriers' control or too costly to fix completely on a global level (ie. spotty coverage, slow connections, great expectations, etc)
Even if Google became the #1 carrier, their valuable, mostly unblemished image could take a big hit.
Google's ability to simplify/scale technology for the masses (Google search, Gmail) won't help as much when it comes to dealing with frustrated customers on the telephone who want to speak to someone right now.
What a crock. Among other things, the article completely omits what is the biggest hurdle for Google, or any new company, for entering the phone market - infrastructure.
A newcomer has no hope of competing in major metropolitan markets such as New York, SF, Boston etc, without the multi-year process of scouting, negotiating, and installing cell towers throughout the cities. Even in private buildings where planning permission is not needed, many of the prime locations have been snapped up by Verizon, AT&T etc on multi-year exclusive or limited compete leases. "Newer" companies such as Virgin Mobile lease their backbone from Sprint etc for exactly this reason.
A newcomer has no hope of competing in major metropolitan markets such as New York, SF, Boston etc, without the multi-year process of scouting, negotiating, and installing cell towers throughout the cities. Even in private buildings where planning permission is not needed, many of the prime locations have been snapped up by Verizon, AT&T etc on multi-year exclusive or limited compete leases. "Newer" companies such as Virgin Mobile lease their backbone from Sprint etc for exactly this reason.
I would think Google's wet dream is a world in which ultra-high speed internet access is available everywhere at low or no cost to the user, and I would expect Google to be thinking hard about how to help make that a reality. Today cellular phone companies are our de facto ISPs when we're away from our homes and offices, so I would expect Google to be thinking about how to deal with them or become them or whatever, but that's just an accident of history and there are other ways to make Google's wet dream a reality. Or so I hope...
Why did you change the title? I feel like the original headline was a better description.
What was the original headline (to those who're seeing the new headline)?
The "original" headline is the one on TC, which is 'Google As A Carrier. It’s Not A Question Of "If They Will", But Rather "When They’ll Try"', whereas on HN it has been changed to 'Google: Your new phone carrier?'
Was a bit too lengthy for my taste.
Was a bit too lengthy for my taste.
Given that Android took off better than anticipated, this would be rather risky move for global Android adoption. Carriers still "own" customer contact in most countries. If they decide to be really afraid of Google, they will stop helping Android adoption.
In early 00s, Nokia wasn't that operator friendly compared to other OEMs. This led to situation that operators took less (or didn't take any) Nokia phones to their subsidised selection. This was the main reason for Nokia's bad performance in US.
Then Nokia started licking some juicy carrier butt. Boy it was a shitty time to work in Nokia. Requirement pipe line was filled with all kinds of crazy useless requirements from carriers, and that essentially halted the software development.