During its presentation at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Internet giant Google announces that it is currently in negotiations with several telecommunication companies in order to establish its own mobile phone service.
Google senior vice-president for products Sundar Pichai took the stage on Monday and said, "We are actually working with carrier partners. You will see us announce it in the coming months." Pichai added that Google has no intention of becoming a full-scale network operator.
Google's plan is to operate as a virtual mobile operator which means it will lease wireless networks from pre-existing mobile providers in order to provide its users with its own and unique brand of service. Early on January Google has signed an agreement with two of the biggest network providers in the United States, Sprint and T-Mobile, to use their network infrastructure, according to Yahoo News.
Pichai on the other hand declined to add supporting details on the deal.
Google's decision to enter the wireless network market could pose a big threat to the existing services dominated by Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. It is also important to note that while Google doesn't have its own wireless network its Android operating system is being used by more than 80 percent of all the smartphones in the world, so entering the network carrier market could be a big leap for Google.
Google also emphasizes its plan for the uniformity of its Android operating system. HTC's Nexus series of smartphone is evidence to Google's drive to create a "pure" Android experience. Google's plan is to forbid smartphone manufacturers from making changes into the original Android interface including underlying software and pre-loaded custom apps.
Android communities aside from Nexus are well-known for its blatant lack of consistency and uniformity compared to the one's presented by Apple's iOS.
In addition to its expansion in the wireless network market, Google has also helped in driving down smartphone prices through its Android One program. Pichai added that a phone that costs $100 today could be manufactured for only $50 within the next two years, a strategy that could help increase the smartphone market to as much as 1.7 billion people, according to CNet.