Will Google Bid To Lose In Wireless Auction?Not if they know what's good for them...
(
old news - 03:17PM Monday Dec 03 2007)
tags: competition · business · wireless · GoogleNo word from Apple today indicating they plan to bid in the 700Mhz auction, which would seem to derail last week's well publicized
theory by PBS's Bob Cringley that Apple & AT&T aren't getting along. Cringely suggested that AT&T's CEO intentionally announced a 3G iPhone to hurt Christmas sales -- as a revenge move for Apple planning to build their own network and offer VoIP over iPhone. Today is the deadline for announcing your intent to bid.
Meanwhile
Bloomberg insists that Google, who
is bidding at auction, may bid to lose. The report insists that because Google's recent stage show netted them some carterfone-esque conditions courtesy of the FCC, they'll only put up the minimum bid for appearance's sake.
When the auction starts in January, Google may bid the $4.6 billion minimum for one slice of the spectrum and let Verizon Wireless or AT&T Inc. prevail with a higher offer. Losing would mean Google doesn't have to build its own wireless network. The winner will still be forced to build an open service.
Sort of. As we've
mentioned, the conditions Bloomberg is referring to are packed with legal loopholes that could make them largely meaningless. In fact, if a bidder plays their cards right, it is possible to win spectrum with
no conditions attached. In other words, if Google really wants to see open 700Mhz networks, they will need to bid to win.
Winner
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