lol i love how BT "unlimited" broadband is a mesasely 1gb per month cap (lol i use that in about an hour)

There's a law, atleast in Coatia, that prohibits unloyal competition. Google will never provide free or "free" service here.

that exists in most countries.

thats how we made MS ship a version of windows with no IE or WMP

ok, i hate how you guys say "nothing is really 'free'", because there are a lot of free things. Starting off with linux. Linux is free and many people take advantage of it. Google search engine is free and pretty much everything google makes is free. The way they will be able to provide free service is by obtaining the 700Mhz broadband spectrum which was used for TV in the U.S., but the new law requires everything be transmitted in HD. So if Google obtains this broadband spectrum, they will be able to use it for anything, even phone service. And google will provide this service only in the U.S., not croatia or any part of europe.

I think this is a great idea, and if google can make it happen, why not?

Sounds utopistic.
Any high-ranking government official, that needs to sign the concession on (GSM or TV) frequency will take into consideration 1000s of employees working for real phone companies and the landslide of their customers rushing to google for a free service. They will see that it would mean 1000s of unemployed people in their district/state. You really think that it will ever see the daylight? *shakes his head*

if you don't believe me, read it for yourself.

http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/...chmidt-go.html

http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/...-700mhz-s.html


http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3695841

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news...09/auction_faq

Besides as I've mentioned before, the government won't have use for it any more because signals will be transmitted in HD from 2009 on.

Google has also said that the FCC has to agree on google's terms before the auction, and they've already come to an agreement.

I truly wish that there are no phone bills, but this reminds me of great Tesla and his attempt to distribute free wireless electric power.

In out country the HD/Digital TV signals are using the waveband the current TV uses (one goes off, another comes on)

maybe were different because we are PAL

> I truly wish that there are no phone bills

why would there be any phone bills? if my what I've read is correct, and google buys this, any cellphone will be able to connect and use the phone service.

jbennet, there are some HD signals here, but the government wants to eliminate all analog, which is why they're selling it, and just use HD.

same, thats what we are doing (whole uk aims to be by 2012) what i was saying was that the way we do it, the HD signals operate on the same frequency as the old analog ones (when the analog goes off, the hd comes on) , whereas you said that in the USA these would go up for sale?