Even if Google was planning to become an ad-supported cellular provider, it won't get there by winning a piece of the 700 MHz spectrum up for auction this January.Which is why Google's near-term focus
is on developing ad-supported wireless services--the other big piece of the infrastructure pie if Google's vision of cell phones is to become a reality.
Google Maps, Google Talk and
even Gmail may be popular mobile apps, the main deterrent to a Google wireless services revolution may be the carriers themselves. Why? Because mobile ad platforms make them nervous, especially when
they are built around search services that are ultimately poised to eat the carriers' lunch. Indeed, third-party mobile applications can't be manipulated by wireless carriers, which means that users
of Google's mobile search could be repeatedly introduced to other Google products at the expense of the carrier's rival offerings.
In the end, the carriers are definitely going to want
a big slice of Google's ad revenue. It will be interesting to see how Google's necessarily tenuous relationship with them plays out.
Read the whole story at Ars Technica »