Rumors of a Google-backed wireless carrier have been floating around for a while now, but today the company finally confirmed those plans. Speaking at Mobile World Congress on Monday, Google boss Sundar Pichai revealed how the new network might work, and promised an official launch within the next few months.<\/p>\n
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As expected, Google is planning to offer a relatively limited service that\u2019s more of an experiment than an official mobile carrier.\u00a0\u201cWe don\u2019t intend to be network operator at scale,\u201d Pichai said. He added that the company is already in talks with major carriers, who could play a major part in its plans.<\/p>\n
Google is expected to launch as Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), meaning it would be leasing its network from competing carriers, with previous rumors suggesting the company could lean on Sprint and T-Mobile for support. The search giant is also expected to rely on a mix of Wi-Fi and cellular data, potentially blurring the line between the two in an effort to provide one seamless connection.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s still a lot we don\u2019t know about Google\u2019s MVNO plans. Will the service rollout to just a few states and cities at first as it did with Google Fiber? And how much will it cost? Hopefully we\u2019ll get the full story soon.<\/p>\n