Google patent filing reveals wireless vision
Published: 29 Sep 2008 15:02 BST
…in San Francisco that "even though on the outside [an open device network] looks enticing, there still needs to be a minimum level of control to safeguard security and privacy".
For the meantime, it looks like Google is being forced to play by these carrier rules. Earlier this week, T-Mobile USA launched the G1, the first smartphone to use Google's Android operating system. The phone is set to go on sale in October, but it will be locked to T-Mobile's network.
That said, Google has high hopes for changing the market, whether carriers like it or not. It has been lobbying the Federal Communications Commission and Congress for well over a year to adopt policies that reflect its vision of an open network. Last year it convinced the FCC to agree to add an open network provision in the rules for the 700MHz spectrum auction. And then it helped ensure the provision would take effect by bidding on the spectrum so it reached a predetermined threshold. It's also been pushing the FCC to open up the so-called white spaces between TV channels for unlicensed use.
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Google has also been investing in alternative wireless technology and networks. It's investing $500m (£280m) in the new Sprint/ClearwireWiMax joint venture, which is trying to build a nationwide network using WiMax. The company has dabbled in citywide Wi-Fi. It's already attempted to buy wireless spectrum. And it's been investing in its own fibre infrastructure as well, in the form of undersea cable deployments, which could eventually be used to create high-speed backhaul networks.
Still, there are several challenges to making Google's open network a reality. For one, device manufacturers would have to cram in more radios into devices to handle all the potential wireless networks that consumers might encounter. While this is not impossible, it does complicate device design and could drive costs up and battery life down. Also, designing devices to seamlessly switch among all those networks is not a trivial task. In fact, users have complained about the iPhone 3G's ability to switch between 2.5G and 3G networks.
What's more, a real-time wireless auction system would have to be in place to manage network usage in Google's ideal wireless world. This could be an opportunity for Google, according to a blog on Wired News. The patent explicitly outlines "a transparent auction marketplace with wireless providers bidding in real time to provide the communication services to users". And the blog notes that Google may be well-suited to establish such a marketplace because of its experience with AdWords and AdSense.
One thing is certain: Google has a long way to go before its vision is realised. But as wireless networks handle more data and become more internet-enabled, it's only a matter of time before openness is forced onto carriers whether they like it or not.
Credit: Google reveals wireless hopes in a patent from CNET News
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