700 MHz Band : Google confirms its mobile strategy

Google revealed on its website the strategy behind its manoeuvres at the auction for the 700 MHz band in the United States.

The bid for the frequency band 700 MHz in the United States has caused much ink as it is the last release of a large part of the spectrum for several years but also because of the presence of Google among the bidders.

While many commentators have focused on the fact that the Mountain View firm had won any frequency, relatively few have understood the real nature of Google’s presence in the bidding process and the fact that the company did not really sought to become a mobile operator in the course of this auction.

It is this aspect that is highlighted in a note published on the official Google blog, confirming that “the priority of Google participating in the auction was to ensure that the reserve price of 4.6 billion Block C of dollars would be reached, triggering the obligations of openness to handsets and applications. ”

Winning strategy of provocation
Google has remained several days at the helm of the bid for the famous Block C, but it was already clear at that time that the operator Verizon Wireless would offer a higher price, which was indeed the case, and allowed him to the frequency itself.

However, the Company has outbid on its own offer on several occasions to ensure that the reserve price would be reached and that there would be a reaction on the part of traders. Google’s position might have been different if she had obtained the four conditions for opening claimed from the beginning: opening applications, opening terminals, opening services and open networks. Only the first two have been granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Interestingly, Google said it will closely monitor the progress of the new bid of Block D, which were no takers and focuses on building a network mixed public / private on the entire national territory.

It should still hear from Google to enforce the conditions of opening of Block C, for the deployment of its mobile platform Android and for the use of “white spaces”, these areas of unusual Frequency spectra for television, for uses mobile broadband.

via [Blog Google]

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