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Google Branded SIM Cards Indicate Google Voice More Than Just a Compliment to Existing Service in Spain?

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An interesting rumor has come out of Spanish site Xataka Android. Apparently, Google-branded SIM cards have been spotted and tested on the Nexus S. The rumor suggests Google will look to either Pepephone or Simyo to help them become an actual carrier. On the photo below, you can see the carrier branding is “Google_Es”.

This is interesting, though methods do exist that allow users to change carrier branding themselves. We doubt Google Voice will translate into a Google-run carrier business, but the possibility does remain. For the time being, it’s still just a companion service to the cellular service you already have. [Thanks Roberto!]

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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39 Comments

  1. Google Should buy Tmobile and make this happen

    1. I do very much want this to happen.

    2. there was actually rumors of this lat december before the whole at&$ deal

    3. YES! PLEASE!

    4. This would be even more of a conflict of interest than Google’s purchase of Motorola. The Open Handset Alliance consists of partners that are competitive horizontally (carriers vs. carriers, OEM’s vs. OEM’s). A Google purchase of T-Moblile would be a vertically competitive stake through the heart of Android as we know it.

      1. Google could make a sub-company to compete. I dont think it would be a violation, or that it would even kill android. How could it?

        1. yeah if anything it would strengthen it. imagine all the people fed up with verizon/at&t/sprint that would switch over.

    5. If this happened I’d sell my Bionic and make the move in a heartbeat. I’d love for some good open GSM Google Goodness… (GGG… 3g!)

  2. if it is true and it has conditions like Pepephone, my actual provider, I will switch

  3. How to build google phone service with no/little dependency on the national US carriers.

    Buy up dark fiber for backbone use
    Create phone OS with voip support
    Purchase hardware manufacturer
    Create a device with new technology
    Install new technology endpoints all over the fiber backbone

    So what new tech? 802.22. Rip out the GSM and CDMA from a traditional Android device, leave wifi in for LAN use and add 802.22 support for WAN use. Have the phone user 802.22 for VOIP as well as the traditional 802.11wifi. The pluses of 802.22 based phone? 60 Mile range. 22Mbps bandwidth. Instead of frequencies above 850Mhz that have issues penetrating structures it uses 54MHz to 698MHz which penetrates much more easily.

    Google could shock the world with a move like that. Of course there are a ton of details to work out but…

    1. You make a lot of great points and a bunch of the things you’ve said Google is definitely doing. Unfortunately 802.22 is completely unsuitable for anything but rural deployments, it just can’t support enough simultaneous users in a channel to be viable in even a low to medium density urban environment.

      1. I would pay any cancellation fee.

  4. If Google becomes an actual carrier… ill switch in a heartbeat…

  5. Hmmm – could that card be faked? The colors are not in their color palate. Also, what would google have been mailing in an envelope? I’ve been advertising on Google for 10 years and never received any snail mail from them, ever. It’s all done through credit cards.

    1. I occasionally receive promotional snail mail from them… advertising credits and such.

  6. Google buys T-Mobile and brands it “Google Wireless USA”, providing inexpensive 3G/4G connectivity across the nation, and promoting Google Voice as the method of communication? Pleeeaaaaase let this happen!!!

  7. Yes google should but tmo then name it G mobile.

  8. holy shit!! buy t mobile please. please buy t mobile

  9. I’ll setting for them adding MMS. Jesus. It’s like they keep side stepping this one as much as possible.

    1. settle*

  10. I WANT GooMobile !!!

    1. Though maybe not that name…

      1. Yeah, not a fan of the name TheCaprican suggested. But I agree with him or her!

    2. GOOMO!

  11. Why stop at being a national carrier? I say they should go for being a global carrier. Could you imagine, no international roaming charges without switching to a local SIM? I know, a dream but it is a good dream.

  12. O
    M
    G….

    Forget Spain, come to the NETHERLANDS ALREADY!!! Gief google voice!!

    1. LOL, HELL NO, Spain has double of users of mobile services than in Netherlands, double or triple more… Actually Spain its the third country in Europe with mobile phone lines, in Spain there are more active sims that inhabitants, with over 55.000.000 Active mobile phone lines, and 47.000.000 inhabitants, LOL!

  13. Have to say, I’d be all over it if Google became a carrier on their own. In fact, while we are wishing can Google start it’s own record label, and cable companies? I’m sick of how those businesses are being run too:)

  14. I took this rumor very differently than other users…

    When I see ‘Google Branded SIM-Card’, I think ‘new twist on International SIM-Card’.

    For those of us in the US, think Virgin Mobile… a Sprint service, re-sold and re-branded.

    Imagine if you had an Android Phone, and Google had arrangements in every country with different wireless providers. When you land in Spain, you get your Google ES SIM-Card. When you go to England, you switch to a Google UK card. Google would create a standard for international travel.

  15. Google cell service would have cell phone companies running for the hills, or increasing ETF’s again.
    and i’d totally pay my ETF to switch to Google to get a Nexus, guaranteed updates, free SMS, Google Voice & NFC.

  16. Maybe that’s Google_espanol
    Maybe the US Version could be Google_EN

  17. Notice how’s there’s no service?

  18. Google_lee_goo wireless

  19. I have mixed feelings of Google buying T-Mobile. Although I love Google, then they would pretty much be a little, “too big”.

  20. Sorry, IT’S A FAKE! …was confirmed by the source :(

  21. If they come to the states with unlimited data I’ll switch from AT&T right to GOOGLE.

  22. It might be a move by google against Telefonica in euro
    “In February 2010, Telefónica CEO Cesar Alierta expressed in a meeting at Bilbao, Spain that his company intends to charge Google and other search engines for the use of their network. Alierta complained that such search engines were benefiting from the platform without contributing to the company’s expenses and that such a trend will change in the near future. Additionally he said that Telefónica will seek to push its own content.”

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