Sprint, Google team up on WiMAX mobile internet services

It's no secret that Google's quite interested in getting intermingled with the mobile internet crowd, and shortly after Sprint wrapped up a deal with Clearwire, the carrier has now inked yet another pact with a search giant. The deal, hailed as a "milestone" in Sprint's mobile internet strategy, will purportedly seek to "establish an internet destination for user-generated content and multimedia offerings." More specifically, Barry West (president of 4G Mobile Broadband for Sprint) noted that "Google and Sprint will optimize the internet experience for the digital lifestyle," and suggested that the agreement would wed the "best mobile internet network with the leading internet search company." Unfortunately, the nitty gritty we crave seems to be absent at the moment, but until the two start putting their heads together, we'll just have to believe Google when it promises a "rich and compelling broadband experience for WiMAX customers."

[Via The New Zealand Herald]

[Eric @ Jul 26th 2007 9:19PM]

Sprint to get the Google phone then?

[manny @ Jul 26th 2007 9:56PM]

Thats exactly what I was thinking eric. Either way I think Sprint is going to score big on their wimax network, if only in backhaul cost savings alone.

[Singh @ Jul 26th 2007 9:43PM]

Is google trying to pull Microsoft's Attention like they did when they buy Double Click and Microsoft pulled Aquantive http://www.gadget9.com/2007/05/19/microsoft-taking-over-aquantive-in-a-6-billion-deal/

[brian @ Jul 26th 2007 10:00PM]

perhaps Google should buy Sprint rather than SK Telecom?!

[Srini Murty @ Jul 26th 2007 10:00PM]

For starters, can they work together to get the Sprint Motorola Q to run some Google apps like Maps and Gmail?

[anon @ Jul 26th 2007 10:05PM]

I can't decide if this makes me finally happy that I happen to be a Sprint customer or really sad that I like Google stuff so much.

[michael @ Jul 26th 2007 10:18PM]

The thing that I wonder is, will Google pry our private data from our phones?

Know who we call? Scan our text messages? Anything for the sake of ads? That's one of the things that stop me from liking Google.

I also hope that there won't be a bundle of ads showing up when I'm on my phone. Or Google scanning it. I don't know, as being a Sprint customer, if this is good or bad. I'm thinking this would be a bad thing for my privacy.

[c_razy @ Jul 26th 2007 11:01PM]

I have sprintBroadbandDirect.com at my house and its the biggest joke ever ... its WiMax, I have perfect line of sight with their towers. They throttle connections with a crazy FAP they do not admit too ... they throttle certain services/sites ... like xbox live ... the ping is great for wireless, but they don't tell the truth about anything.

I am guessing that my Sprint experience will be similar to what everyone will see when AT&T throws the net neutrality agreement out the window in less than 2 years.

[Bryan @ Jul 27th 2007 8:49AM]

I seriously doubt you have wimax since it has yet to be released, most likely you have an EVDO aircard. Wimax is an entirely different animal FYI.

[Joe Mobile @ Jul 27th 2007 12:59AM]

Some of the services they mentioned in the press release were location-based. You can bet this is a big part of the strategy for Google - better targeted ads, higher CPMs. Given their focus on LBS it makes sense for them to acquire Navteq:
http://www.thegpsinsider.com/2007/07/26/google-and-sprint-partner-to-develop-location-based-services-for-wimax/

[Abhishek @ Jul 27th 2007 1:26AM]

Hey my graphic looks better. ;-)
Check out my post on this at

http://abhishek.tiwari.com/2007/07/26/rise-of-the-goognet-part-2/

[Jeff @ Jul 27th 2007 7:45PM]

This is brilliant. Sprint has and will-have an incredible network ... but they've always been horrible at producing applications for that network. So this is a great move by Sprint.