BARCELONA–Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt’s keynote to Mobile World Congress on Tuesday was a deferential one. He swore that Google’s goal wasn’t to make mobile operators mere dumb pipes and reaffirmed the Internet giant’s commitment to wireless, claiming mobility is at the top of its list when undertaking any new development project. It was the kind of message you’d expect Schmidt to deliver to thousands of potentially hostile delegates from mobile operators. But does Schmidt mean what he says or is he just telling the wireless industry what it wants to hear?
On the issue of putting mobility first, Google seems to be authentic. Not only does it have sizable skin in the game with its Android and Chrome platforms, as well as the bevy of carrier partnerships and applications in the market, but as Informa Telecom & Media points out Google’s latest controversial creation, Buzz, has mobility and location awareness at its core.
But as for promises of not being a threat to operators, Schmidt many just be buttering operators up before Google spit roasts them. ZDNet’s Foremski Tom has compiled a long list of all of the actions Google has taken that frankly freak the hell out of wireless operators. Among them, the Nexus One handset–which Google will sell outside of the carrier channel–its support of network neutrality, and its expansion into experimental fiber access.
If competing against the operators isn’t enough, Google’s attempts to manipulate them probably haven’t scored it any points. Google admitted to bidding in the 700 MHz auction a few years back to force the issue of open access, not because it had any interest in running its own wireless network. As Connected Planet’s Rich Karpinski pointed out last week, Google’s attempts to “enter the fiber business” sound an awful like its previous ploys to goad operators into doing what Google wants.
Google has definitely made some inroads with operators through partnerships over Android and applications, but suspicions are still high. Google may truly be offering an olive branch at Mobile World Congress, but Schmidt can’t really expect several years of mistrust and outright hostility to evaporate overnight.
