Rumours surfaced in january that Google was looking to become a wireless carrier in the U.S. as an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator). Codenamed Project Nova, the service is to be a hybrid service able to use the strongest signal in an area from wireless providers including Sprint, T-Mobile and Wi-Fi networks. Speaking at MWC 2015, Google senior vice-president Sundar Pichai today confirmed that Google is indeed talking to wireless carriers. He revealed only cursory details, promising that more information would be coming in the next few months.
Pichai did clarify one thing: Google is not about to start competing with U.S. wireless carriers. Its plans are far more modest. “We don’t intend to be a network operator at scale,” Pichai explained. “We are working with carrier partners. You’ll see our answer in coming months. Our goal is to drive a set of innovations we think should arrive, but do it a smaller scale, like Nexus devices, so people will see what we’re doing.”
Google launched its Nexus program to showcase Android. Whereas most Android smartphones are customized by manufacturers, Nexus devices have always offered a stock experience consistent across devices and highlighting what it can do out of the box. Google could well take a similar approach and showcase innovations that could benefit users when any carrier-specific add-ons or restrictions are lifted.
Perhaps Google will unveil its new wireless service at Google I/O 2015 which is set for late May.
Source : CNET