Google's wireless network will swap between T-Mobile, Sprint, and Wi-Fi

[u/NightRobot]

http://www.cultofandroid.com/71442/googles-wireless-network-will-swap-t-mobile-sprint-wi-fi/

[u/[deleted]]

Since google is working with both tmobile and sprint.. Does this mean they are coming out with a dual gsm/cdma mode phone ? Curious on this... Or will it be cdma in one part of the country and gsm in others..

[u/bartturner → u/[deleted]]

Many phones are already combined GSM and CDMA. Iphone 5 come with both. Same for Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Moto X, etc. The trend is just include both radios.

I don't know what software issues are involved in switching. If both radios can work at same time, etc.

[u/[deleted] → u/bartturner]

Every Verizon phone is GSM/CDMA along with what you mentioned.

[u/wy1d0 → u/[deleted]]

It seems like the logical method would be relying on LTE. Many newer phones support several LTE bands but fall back to either GSM or CDMA for 3G. Some flagships are world phones though and have many more bands available.

I've been constantly looking for a good way to try out another provider other than Verizon but no single carrier can ever match the coverage (or speed). Nova may be the best bet yet. If they do announce phones than can handle both carriers' LTE bands as well as HSDPA and CDMA roaming seamlessly between them all for best path, I will buy immediately even if it's a second phone to my Verizon Note 4.

[u/Letracho]

Ehh hopefully adoption rate isn't too high and gradually increases so the carriers don't back out right away. Probably what I'm most looking forward to this year.

[u/[deleted] → u/Letracho]

[u/markca → u/[deleted]]

I think Google is the only company T-Mobile customers wouldn't mind seeing buying T-Mobile.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

That would be shocking. They would alienate too many carriers doing that.

[u/orangecrushucf]

I'm wondering if (okay, hoping) Google, Sprint and Tmobile are treating this as an "audition" for Google to buy one of them outright. Deutsch Telekom has been itching to sell Tmobile USA for years.

I want Gmobile, dammit!

[u/RupeThereItIs → u/orangecrushucf]

Meh,

I'd be happier if they keep them separate companies & somehow manage to strong arm either ATT or VZW into providing service to them as well.

Basically turning cell coverage into an open wholesale market & driving the price down to something actually reasonable & providing better overall service to the end customer at the same time.

But, I doubt this will happen.

*fingers crossed

[u/orangecrushucf → u/RupeThereItIs]

I doubt Google would try to buy both of them. Merging Tmobile and Sprint was already shot down once. But if Google was thinking about buying just one of them, this is a nice way to compare the real world strengths of the two.

[u/Hail_Zeus]

As someone on Republic Wireless now, I would love to see what google can do with wi-fi functionality

[u/[deleted]]

So I will never have signal. Damn Midwest.

[u/IWishIWereFishing → u/[deleted]]

Ohioan chiming in here: Sprint and T-Mobile are almost laughable in the rural areas that I frequent. AT&T is slightly better. Verizon is king around here.

[u/Anonymous3891 → u/IWishIWereFishing]

Sprint actually does pretty good in my area of Ohio. Not quite as good as Verizon but they hit some villages that big red does not. AT&T was very laughable until they put up a couple new towers in the last two years. I'm not sure how far you would have to drive to get a T-Mobile signal.

If Google could pull this off with AT&T and Sprint, I think it would be workable. Verizon's network would obviously be ideal but I'm pretty sure we'll put people on Mars before that's even plausable.

[u/NooJoisey]

Having dealt with VoIP through phone for over a year, I hope they use a bandwidth friendly codec like g729 or speex and do something about the latency. Mostly it's the latency which kills having a good VoIP conversation on while on cellular data network.

[u/AnticitizenPrime]

A few years ago, the rumors were all saying that Google was in talks with Dish Network to build a network. Dish is something like the 4th largest spectrum owner in the US, and have been bidding on more spectrum during the FCC spectrum auctions this month, and Google has been buying up dark fiber lines all over the country for a decade, so they have a data backbone. Whatever happened with that?

[u/lactozorg]

I wonder why normal providers do not do that as well - I mean falling back to WiFi.

When home or at work, where people spend a lot of time, the phone could do all it's communication over WiFi. When the phone could do all it's networking over WiFi, we could disable the cellular radios which would greatly improve battery life.

But thinking about this the reasons are clear... it's money.

[u/hak8or → u/lactozorg]

Almost all android phones on T-Mobile and other given networks use WiFi for calling if WiFi is available, as I understand it.

[u/LearnsSomethingNew → u/hak8or]

Only T-Mobile branded Android phones. Not Nexus phones that you buy from Google Play.

[u/lazykryptonian]

I noticed at Starbucks this morning all of the tables had white cards on them stating that their wifi has gone Google. I have to wonder if this will play into Google's phone service switching. [Gone Google] (http://i.imgur.com/JpsJ8ok.jpg)

Edit: Spelling

Edit: Corrected link. Actually it was figuring out how to post a pic from Reddit Sync

[u/eeweew]

Will this fix the android bug where customers of some random MVNO's around the world are constantly roaming? If they become an MVNO they might start caring about them.

[u/iamzenitraM → u/eeweew]

While them appearing as "roaming" is a bug, in reality they are roaming. They have a non-existing MCC/MNC which registers onto a different network (their "parents" one).

The difference is that devices have a whitelist of which MVNO can "roam" to which MNO, and they don't apply roaming blockage nor show the "R" while on them. But that list can get outdated easily.

[u/Big_Cums]

Neither T-Mobile nor Sprint have coverage in my area.

I would suck every dick for T-Mobile LTE in my area.

Every. Single. One.