Google testing MVNO waters
Zach Epstein via BGR
Google may be preparing to take its mobile efforts to the next level as it tests a Google-branded MVNO in Spain. Unconfirmed reports accompanied by photos of a Google SIM card and a Nexus S running on a “Google_Es” network suggest that Google is toying with the idea of becoming a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, or a company that provides cellular service by leasing capacity from existing wireless carriers and piggybacking on their networks.
As an iPhone owner I probably will never use Google as a carrier, but I like the prospect of Google disrupting the wireless telecom industry. Google would surely attempt to act as a dumb pipe providing only data to the devices it services by routing voice and sms over IP using Google voice. I hope that Google could be a large enough presence in the industry that other carriers would have to follow suit.
