If Google does indeed decide to buy or partner with Space Data Corp it won’t be to shape helium balloons into dogs or flowers at children’s birthday parties. It will be to boost their mobile and internet connectivity presence… in a HUGE way.
Android is Google’s announced foray into the mobile market, but knowing Google, they’ve got a lot more up their sleeves. Take a look at why buying a balloon company is of interest to the Internet Giant:
So what would Google do with a company like this? Well, for one, they could become a wireless server provider. Buy an Android phone and you’ll get free wireless service via Google. That’s a realistic development down the road.
But to start off with… what if Android were to offer SOME services for free that your typical wireless carrier wouldn’t? Sure… make your calls through Verizon, but if you want to browse via the web, Android will help you connect directly to the Internet with no extra fees using connectivity from these Space Data Corp balloons. Oh yeah, and look at some of our mobile ads while you’re at it.
In a Tech Crunch review of the Wall Street Journal Article, it is claimed that one of these balloons can service an area up to 40 times greater than a regular cell phone tower. The actual balloons cost $50 to make and the equipment inside them costs $1,500 but they can use detailed tracking features to deploy a parachute taking them safely to the ground so they can recover their equipment.
Earlier reports that Google would be bidding on the mobile spectrum auction so they could begin offering cell phone service has since died down. Could this be a reason why? Google news seems to be keeping us on our toes on a daily basis…. and we love it!