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Cable Technology Feature Article

November 16, 2012

Google and Dish Interested in Starting Wireless Service

By Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Contributor


Google (News - Alert) is interested in collaborating with Dish Network on a new wireless service. The two companies have met privately about a possible partnership.

Other companies have also met with representatives from Dish about branching into wireless services. 


Image via Shutterstock

Dish and Google are seen as more likely partners than some of the other candidates. Dish has available spectrum and Google has cash to invest. Dish already asked federal regulators to use its spectrum for a cell phone network rather than its intended use for satellites. The FCC (News - Alert) is still considering the proposal.

There are a few reasons why Google may want to invest in wireless services. The move could be profitable and it also would help out current Google offerings. For instance, Google could increase the speed of Web traffic on mobile devices, and it would allow for increased availability of such offerings, such as Google Wallet. Google may find that it can’t get access from carriers for Google Wallet, otherwise.

“The next frontier of advertising revenue for Google is mobile and if carriers and Apple (News - Alert) decide to lock the company out of this lucrative market (even partially), then they have no choice but to own the wireless pipes,” explains TMC CEO Rich Tehrani in a recent blog post.

T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel were reported as other possible partners for Dish in a wireless service. Another possible partner is AT&T (News - Alert). It was going to buy T-Mobile, but then dropped the $39 billion acquisition after intense pressure from government regulators.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless are among the key current competitors to any future offering involving Dish and a possible partner.

Just how long would it take to see a new wireless service in place, if Dish finds a suitable partner?Telecom consultant Lawrence Behr said it could be three to five years before the wireless network is operational.

The speculation about Dish and Google comes the same week as Google Fiber announced it is putting in fiber service to some households in Kansas City.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Miami 2013, Jan 29- Feb. 1 in Miami, Florida.  Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.




Edited by Brooke Neuman


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