Google

05 May 2015

Domination in Search Markets: Why? How? & How to Respond? by Steve Wildman

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This is Professor Steve Wildman’s leaving lecture entitled ‘Domination in Search Markets: Why? How? and How to Respond?’. The lecture was given on 20 April 2015 at the Communication Arts and Sciences Building at Michigan State University. Domination in Search Markets by Steve Wildman from Quello Center on Vimeo. Abstract With rare exceptions, national markets for Internet search services are dominated by a single company, in most cases Google. Factors contributing to highly concentrated national search markets have been vigorously debated. In this talk I present findings from research projects with two sets of collaborators. Results from an econometric study […]
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23 Apr 2015

Google’s Project Fi + Free Muni Wi-Fi = Customer Savings + Carrier Disruption

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Yesterday Google officially announced Project Fi, its much anticipated wireless service, which I’ve previously blogged and tweeted about during its pre-announcement rumor/leak phase. Now that more details, including pricing, are available directly from Google, an updated post seems in order, especially following recent posts about newly launched municipal Wi-Fi services in NYC and Boston (later on this post I’ll consider how these two developments may be related and synergistic). As expected, Google’s wireless service will route user traffic over a mix of Wi-Fi connections and, via MVNO arrangements with Sprint and T-Mobile, the two carriers’ cellular networks. This “three network” approach alone […]
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07 Apr 2015

Signs of Google’s Global Ambition for Project Nova

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In a post yesterday I discussed the disruptive potential of Google’s Project Nova. Having just discovered an article by Christopher Williams published last weekend in the UK’s Telegraph, I thought I should add an update on international aspects of Nova’s ambitions and potential impacts. Williams reports that, according to industry sources, “Google is in talks towards a deal with Hutchison Whampoa, the owner of the mobile operator Three.” He also notes that “Google and Three declined to comment.” The two giants are discussing a wholesale access agreement that would become an important part of Google’s planned attempt to shake-up the […]
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06 Apr 2015

Unlicensed Spectrum: A Look at Google’s Project Nova

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Though Google has not revealed much in the way of details, the Internet search giant is expected to launch a WiFi/MVNO wireless service sometime in the near future. Based on limited comments from company executives and reports in the Wall Street Journal (see here and here; subscription may be required) and elsewhere, it seems that the service will: rely on a combination of WiFi connectivity supplemented by cellular connections provided via MVNO agreements, most likely with both T-Mobile and Sprint; initially be available only to owners of the Nexus 6 smartphone, built by Lenova’s Motorola unit, which was acquired from […]
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