Google joins wireless broadband venture
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Google is joining forces with several giant US telcos to develop and roll out high-speed WiMax internet network for mobile devices in the US, Search Engine Journal reports.
The core of the joint venture are two US telcos, Spring and Clearwire, which together have 400,000 broadband wireless subscribers, but the participation of the likes of Google is expected to give much needed momentum to the development of a national WiMax network.
Much of that momentum will come in the form of dollars – Google, Intel, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks have collectively agreed to invest $US3.2 billion into the new consortium.
Google has teamed up with a number of partners investing in a new venture to develop and deliver high-speed WiMAX internet access for mobile devices. The venture, which is being led by Sprint, also includes Clearwire and Sprint, among others.
Google’s interest in the project lies in putting itself in a position to shape the development of the online internet platform, an issue it is showing increasing interest in. As part of the deal Google announced it will partner with Clearwire in the development of internet services, advertising services and applications for mobile WiMAX devices and be the search provider of choice for Clearwire’s customers.