Since the beginning of the year, the prepaid wireless world has been
abuzz with rumors of Google launching a new MVNO that uses Sprint and T-Mobile networks along with wifi calling when applicable. Today, I read on
9to5google that the tech giant’s service might offer free international roaming to its customers at no additional cost. Yes, please!
According to the reports, Google has been in talks with Hong Kong-based
Huchison Whampoa, a conglomerate corporation that offers international roaming to its customers through its extensive networks which cover Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Ireland and possibly the UK. This partnership would allow customers traveling overseas to use Huchison Whampoa’s networks without worrying about roaming. It would be exactly like making a call in the United States.
I’m sure that I don’t need to remind everyone that this is still in the rumor phase, but after all of the recent announcements from various MVNOs about free international calling, a move like this is pretty elegant. Especially if Google supports international calling as well–essentially making the MVNO similar to a worldwide network.
There are still no official announcements as to exactly when Google intends to launch this new service, but the last I heard it should be formally announced sometime soon. Some rumors indicate that the service
might only be compatible with the Samsung Nexus 6 at launch, but Google has stayed pretty quiet on the actual details. Stay tuned for more info!]]>
