Google aims at making international roaming free for Americans

While **service providers** in India are up in arms against OTT players over losing revenues, Google is now planning to make international roaming free. Citing sources related to the matter, a report  in Telegraph reveals that Google is in talks with Hutchinson Whampoa to make international roaming free for Americans. Google reportedly wants to create a global network that will cost users the same price for calls, texts and data, irrespective of where the customer is located. It plans to tie-up with Hutchison and gain access to mobile service in the UK, Ireland, Italy and some other countries that have access to Hutchinson’s network. However, the company has no plans to cater to British customers. With this move, it is also clear that Google wants to jump in with its own network in the US mobile market. “In a bid to create a global network that will cost the same to use for calls, texts, and data, irrespective of where the user is located, the search giant is mulling a wholesale access agreement that could help it debut in the US mobile market with its own network,” the report points out. Google had already disclosed its plans to launch a mobile network, and it now reportedly plans to rely on wholesale deals to use existing infrastructure in the US as well as outside, instead of building its own. Hutchison would be the obvious partner as this helps eliminate the roaming charges for Three customers in the US, the sources told the news site.

This is believed to be company’s ‘small scale’ project, and would pressurize other operators to cut down their prices too. This could also lead operators to improve technology and eventually mobile coverage via Wi-Fi networks. This doesn’t come as a surprise as Google has already made its presence in the US fixed-line telecoms market with Google Fiber, which is building fibre optic networks in cities that lack investment for the infrastructure. It is also known that Apple is eager to replace SIM cards with its software that allows users to select any available network. Besides, Apple is also known to own patents for technology that will help the device choose the best available network and price, at a given point. Telecom operators surely see this as another threat, and another way to create a gap between operators and customers.