Re:Netflix and Alphabet will need to become ISPs, fast
by VectorLock on Wednesday June 13, 2018 @03:37PM
(#17306261)
I'm not sure if Google wants to get in on that game. They might now that net neutrality is a thing of the past. From what I understand their few entries into spectrum bidding were mostly to get the incumbents to up their bids.
4G/5G/Wifi is critical to undermining the incumbent ISPs. Urban and heavy to medium suburban rollout could be rapid.
Perhaps google should buy T-Mobile to get access to cell towers as a start... take the licenses from Nextel/Sprint for ISP-level data delivery, and keep T-Mobile for regular coverage.
Of course, I haven't tracked the status of T-Mobile / Nextel / Sprint's spectrum rights in a long time.
But google or a consortium could provide turnkey solutions to doing block / neighborhood / community / village / city wireless ISP that actually works.
And provide the legal backing when the prolific army of telecom lawyers come knocking to shake down smaller operations.
Or balloons. Weren't there supposed to be balloons?