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Google to bid for wireless spectrum

Indiantelevision.com Team

(1 December 2007 7:25 pm)

MUMBAI: The Internet search major Google will bid in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) auction of wireless spectrum that will be used to bring the web and other services to cell phones and other wireless devices. The auction will be starting 24 January.

The bidding for the swath of 700 megahertz spectrum that Google wants will start at $4.6 billion, with media reports quoting analysts predicting the final price to be substantially higher. Building out the network for national coverage might cost an additional $5 billion to $7.5 billion.

Market analysts say that the US based wireless service providers AT&T and Verizon Wireless will almost surely be bidding.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is set to auction off spectrum in the 700-megahertz (MHz) band to free up more efficient bandwidth for cellphone services, in particular mobile Internet access. The airwaves in the 700-MHz band are now used by television stations, which will give them up when they switch to digital transmission in February, 2009.

On 6 November Google had said that it would have a partnership with 33 other companies to develop Android, an open-source application for cellphones that will include an operating system, user interface as well as a package expected to include Google Maps, Gmail and other Google services. It is part of an effort by the company to become a universal portal through which users can get access to the Web on mobile devices.