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It would be an MVNO. Maybe they plan to subsidize some of the line cost through advertising. Google could potentially have access to all network traffic for b

It would be an MVNO. Maybe they plan to subsidize some of the line cost through advertising. Google could potentially have access to all network traffic for better ad targeting. As a side benefit, they could gain insights into iPhone usage behaviors.

eli 12y ago
If the long term goal is to actually roll out their own network (and I don't know if that's true), launching as an MVNO would be the obvious next step towards that.
bluedino 12y ago
In my experience, MVNO's have worse service despite being on the same network as the big providers. Especially when it comes to data. Isn't Google worried about that hurting user experience?
- jedberg 12y ago
  When has google ever cared about the user experience? Edit: I find it interesting that this comment got all the way to at least +5 and has now descended to -2 as I edit it. Apparently what I said was more polarizing than I thought -- I honestly thought it was something that everyone agreed with.
  - ocdtrekkie 12y ago
    If you criticize Google here, you will get downvoted into oblivion as soon as the fanboys find your comment.
- dd36 12y ago
  Have you tried Consumer Cellular?
- abruzzi 12y ago
  The biggest problem with MVNOs is that they generally only get access to lessor company's towers, and not to any roaming agreements the lessor used to augment their coverage. The most obvious example is Sprint users have coverage in Montana despite Sprint having no towers in Montana (at least a year ago when I was carrier shopping.). But if you were on Virgin Mobile who are a Sprint MVNO, you got basically zero coverage in the state.
- csears 12y ago
  Being on the same network doesn't mean traffic from MVNO subscribers is treated equally. When the big providers have congestion, they will apply QoS to prioritize traffic from their direct subscribers over MVNO traffic.
  - evandena 12y ago
    Curious if the new FCC rulings will put the kibosh on that, or if the MVNOs are enough of a separate entity.

eli 12y ago

If the long term goal is to actually roll out their own network (and I don't know if that's true), launching as an MVNO would be the obvious next step towards that.

bluedino 12y ago

In my experience, MVNO's have worse service despite being on the same network as the big providers. Especially when it comes to data. Isn't Google worried about that hurting user experience?

jedberg 12y ago
When has google ever cared about the user experience? Edit: I find it interesting that this comment got all the way to at least +5 and has now descended to -2 as I edit it. Apparently what I said was more polarizing than I thought -- I honestly thought it was something that everyone agreed with.
- ocdtrekkie 12y ago
  If you criticize Google here, you will get downvoted into oblivion as soon as the fanboys find your comment.
dd36 12y ago
Have you tried Consumer Cellular?
abruzzi 12y ago
The biggest problem with MVNOs is that they generally only get access to lessor company's towers, and not to any roaming agreements the lessor used to augment their coverage. The most obvious example is Sprint users have coverage in Montana despite Sprint having no towers in Montana (at least a year ago when I was carrier shopping.). But if you were on Virgin Mobile who are a Sprint MVNO, you got basically zero coverage in the state.
csears 12y ago
Being on the same network doesn't mean traffic from MVNO subscribers is treated equally. When the big providers have congestion, they will apply QoS to prioritize traffic from their direct subscribers over MVNO traffic.
- evandena 12y ago
  Curious if the new FCC rulings will put the kibosh on that, or if the MVNOs are enough of a separate entity.