Google May Seek Partners To Bid On Wireless Spectrum

GOOGLE MAY SEEK PARTNERS TO BID ON WIRELESS SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: Dow Jones, AUTHOR: Scott Morrison]
Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said Wednesday that the Internet giant could team up with at least one partner to bid in the U.S. government's upcoming wireless spectrum auction. "It's perfectly possible that the best bidding strategy may be to bid with one or more partners," Schmidt told journalists following a gathering with financial analysts. "We won't make our decision until that last minute." The Federal Communications Commission is slated in January to begin auctioning a swath of 700-megahertz spectrum, which is considered prime U.S. wireless real estate because the airwaves can travel long distances and penetrate thick walls. Google has said it could bid up to $4.6 billion on the spectrum even though the government hasn't met all of the company's conditions that regulators open up part of the spectrum so that any device, software or service can work on the network. Alan Eustace, Google's vice president of engineering, said earlier Wednesday it is important for the Internet search giant to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to promoting an open mobile phone industry.
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