Google In Talks To Create International Roaming Network 25
jones_supa writes Google is in talks towards a deal with Hutchison Whampoa, the owner of the mobile operator Three, that will allow United States customers to use their phones abroad at no extra cost. The two giants are discussing a wholesale access agreement that would become an important part of Google's planned attempt to shake up the US mobile market with its own network. It is understood that Google aims to create a global network that will cost the same to use for calls, texts and data no matter where a customer is located. By linking up with Hutchison, it could gain wholesale access to mobile service in the UK, Ireland, Italy and several more countries where the Hong Kong conglomerate owns mobile networks.
Good! (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm tired of paying $25/100Mb of data while I travel. Extortion.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Sounds like a bargain in comparison to UK provider charges. Although Three offers "Feel at Home" free roaming in some places, in places where it doesn't (eg Canada), you'll pay $896 per 100MB. And no, that isn't a typo!
Calling a UK number. £1.40 per minute.
Calling a Canadian number. £1.40 per minute.
Texts to UK. 35p per text.
Texting a Canadian number. 35p per text.
Receiving calls from any number. 99p per minute.
Receiving texts from any number. Free.
Using internet and data
Re: Good! (Score:1)
TMobile has had free worldwide roaming for a couple of years. Free data, free text. Doesn't change your country of origin so voice can be expensive.
Still I don't see what is so earthshaking in this.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I'm tired of paying $25/100Mb of data while I travel. Extortion.
It's WAY past time for this to happen. For both voice and data. Telecom is hugely profitable, mobile telecom even more so. So profitable, in fact, that companies can succeed in spite of being totally inept.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Could you provide some data to support that statement? Not that I think the roaming charges are reasonable (since they are completely disconnected from actual costs for the operators), but that would just mean that domestic charges should go up and international/roaming rates should go down.
Look for example at the Vodafone annual report (big PDF) [vodafone.com], income statement on page 96. On 38 bn UK pounds annual revenue, the made 5 bn loss (before taxes, not
Re: (Score:2)
i'm simply going to dump my Note 3 for a new iphone this year and use offline map apps like Navigon so i don't have to rely on the cloud and all the resulting nonsense
Re: (Score:2)
T-Mobile offers a plan with unlimited free international data roaming.
Re: (Score:2)
it's resolving some market inefficiencies. you can buy a new sim card and pay local rates which will be low...but it's a hassle and people don't want to have a different number. if google solves that inefficiency there will be some money to gain.
The reverse is already true... (Score:3, Informative)
Seems eminently sensible to me.
Here in the UK Three already allows you to use your contracted minutes and data allowance in some countries, including in the USA, at no extra cost.
http://blog.three.co.uk/2013/1... [three.co.uk]
I'll be making heavy use of it in a couple of months when I'm heading to Seattle (and Alaska), it'll be far more convenient than buying a local SIM as I did last time I was in the USA.
I'm quite surprised that there aren't already similar agreements for people from the States visiting Europe.
Re: (Score:2)
I'd probably be better off buying some property in the UK to establish a mailing address to get that service to use exclusively in the USA than keeping my current AT&T plan.
Hutchison has been offering this for a while (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Irony... (Score:1)
The irony here is that in certain circles in the USA this will be perceived as "disruption" and a David-vs.-Goliath "free market" victory. In reality, what makes this possible, in part, is the EU's strict regulation on roaming fees. Hutchison will be able to provide cheap bandwidth not because of the free market, but despite it: because EU regulators have reined in the "free market" that has screwed customers for decades.
(I'm aware that the EU is by far not the only market outside the US, but it's a big, im
if three had mentioned this in hong kong (Score:2)
id had signed with them. Instead more pccw :(
Good (Score:1)
I want to watch Verizon and ATT collapse.
T-mobile (Score:1)
Australia? (Score:2)
Three used to be a mobile carrier brand here, but Hutchinson and Vodafone now jointly run a network under the 'Vodaphone' name.
Vodafone runs a distant 3rd in terms of subscribers compared to the Telstra and Optus networks but might pick up a few thousand new users if the global roaming outside Australia was compelling.