[Rumor] Google May be Planning to Become a Wireless Carrier; at least in EU

[dgstorm]

Update: It's a good thing we called this story a rumor, because as it turns out, it's actually a hoax. Unfortunately, this was a hoax perpetrated on Engadget Spain, and is completely fake.

There is some industry speculation that Google may be planning to take on the role of wireless carrier in parts of Europe soon. In fact, they may have already started testing a Mobile Virtual Network (MVN) in Spain. The images posted are of what appears to be a Google-branded SIM card and a Nexus S running on a network dubbed “Google_es”. According to the report, a few trusted engineers have started receiving this starter pack for testing purposes already. Here's a quote with a few more details,

Now, MVN operators (MVNOs) usually roam on other carriers networks without actually owning any of the spectrum. They just resell wireless service under their own brands with numerous examples of such carriers in the States including Boost Mobile which for example rides on Sprint radiowaves. The engineers who got the starter packs will reportedly test three Spanish networks - Movistar, Orange and Vodafone - to determine which one to use.

If this turns out to be true, it could be an interesting move for Google. In fact, if you use your imagination, you can see a wide range of possibilities that could be fairly "disruptive" to current wireless markets. For example, if Google creates a smartphone with deeply integrated VoIP, like Google Voice, as the primary call system for the phone, then they could compete aggressive with dramatically discounted prices. It makes you wonder how Google might bring this idea to the States...

Source: Android.net via PhoneArena