REVENUE STRATEGY - GOOGLE

Google’s interest in the wireless industry and the battle for a chunk of airwaves is growing.

Because for continuing revenue growth:
1. It wants to ensure its content can flow unimpeded and untaxed over the world's broadband networks. So it wants plenty of competition in the market for high-speed Internet access so that fourth and fifth broadband access pipes to the home compete with cable and telecom companies.
2. It's working with EarthLink to provide a free Wi-Fi wireless broadband network in San Francisco.
3. It's trying to spread its mobile search application far and wide.
4. It is developing its own wireless handset.

So:
1. It has hired some big guns to help it shape the rules for how the government auction of $10 billion in licenses to provide wireless service will be carried out to ensure certain wireless airwaves are made available for free public use and make sure the auction enables up-and-comers to enter the market.
2. It became part of a consortium called the Coalition for 4G in America, which includes eBay's Skype Web-calling service, Yahoo!, DirecTV and EchoStar, Intel, and Access Spectrum.
3. It wants policies like packaged bidding to let bidders acquire licenses nationwide in one fell swoop instead of on a market-by-market basis.
4. It wants the Federal Communications Commission to offer wide swaths of spectrum, allowing for superfast wireless services.
5. It may bid in the 700 Mhz auction, either on its own or banding together with Wi-Fi partner EarthLink or another coalition partner because it has the content, but lacks a network.
6. Its interest in wireless regulations will not be fleeting, nor limited to the 700 Mhz auction.
7. It will push the FCC to make it easier for existing spectrum holders to resell their spectrum and to create spectrum overlays, allowing several service providers to use the same airwaves.

You have to play business like a foresighted game of chess that can spill far beyond the chessboard.

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