We came across a rather peculiar news piece today: a proper evidence-backed report which suggests that Google Inc. just might start their own wireless telecommunication network, in Spain.
The news comes from Phandroid – a blog dedicated to covering all things Android. They cite a Spanish website Xataka Android which apparently spotted a Google-branded SIM Card. A handful of photos of the SIM card were taken (which we’ve embedded below). The card was later popped into a Google Nexus S unit and, adding to the apparent authenticity of the whole thing, shows the carrier branding to be Google_Es.
From Phandroid:
It seems like anytime a wireless carrier is going up for sale, or some new spectrum lands on the auction block, pundits start insisting that Google should step up and get itself into cellular networking. There's some new evidence, though, that the company might be actually following-through on something along those lines, with the discovery of a Google-branded SIM.
The card in question seems to have come from Spain, where it's reported that Google engineers have been using these SIMs in combination with Nexus S phones. When inserted, the cards identify the carrier as Google_Es. Just what is Google up to here?
The most sensible explanation would be that Google is testing out plans to act as an MVNO and piggyback its services on the network of an existing carrier. While this Google SIM is a fascinating find (assuming it's legitimate), it raises a whole bunch of new questions. If Google is to start acting as a carrier, how would it brand the offering? Google Voice would be the obvious product to tie it to. We also wonder if Google is considering a similar service in the US, or if it only has its sights on Europe for the moment.
Thoughts? Would you switch to Google’s own cellular service if it turns out to be real? Let us known in our comments section on Facebook!
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Source: Xatak Android
Via: Phandroid