Rich Tehrani over at TMCNet is reporting that Google may be looking at buying mobile phone network operator Sprint.
Although it would be easy to scoff at the rumor (and it’s still very much in the unlikely bracket) as we know Google’s ambitions have no bounds. America’s 5th largest company is already trying to buy mobile spectrum in the United States, and is considering a similar move in the United Kingdom. Google also has its own mobile phone operating system on the way. The acquisition of Sprint may be unlikely, but so would the three moves listed here have been to anyone talking about Google 12 months ago.
I do like Matthew Ingram’s argument though relating to the constant Google takeover rumors:
it’s because Google has effectively become the saviour of everything. What was once a tiny company with a simple service that everyone used and/or liked has become a globe-spanning colossus with a market value bigger than the gross domestic product of a medium-sized country — and so the implication is that Google can do anything.
There’s a whole lot of old-world businesses with declining market caps that could become Google targets, particularly as Google starts to hit growth barriers across its core business lines. Car manufacturers are cheap at the moment (you can run Google ads on a screen in the car) and the Airlines are in a spot of bother as well. OK, maybe too far fetched…at least for another 12 months anyway 
No way, Google is in the search business.
How about Google buying Apple + cable operators – and turn hardware/software/content business into an integrated subscription based lifestyle package.
A service combining cable TV/Internet all terminated with subscription subsidised Apple devices (Apple TV, IMac, IPod). The subsidised set top boxes costs are in line with the manufactering cost of apple products. Imagine cable, broadand – free ipod, imac and appleTV for 120US$/month… Throw in a phone…One day maybe.
Sprint is very beat up right now and the timing would be right. Why not? Better than starting from scratch.
{cough} Is it just me, or do we all expect TechCrunch editors to have no life, and make more than 1 post on the weekend? What am I to do now, read valleywag or something? C’mon TC folks — more posts on the weekend I say, lest the TC mindshare get diluted {gasp}
@4) just go read the facebook blog
Interesting rumor — and quite an ambitious one, too!
Makes sense. Sprint is hurting and Google’s ambitions are large. Google desperately wants to be the new Microsoft.
Since MS owns the desktop, they need another platform to own. Mobile phones seems like a good place to try. Android is a good first step. Then recurring revenue from cell phone ads and running fees will add a lot of revenue.
Weekend Posts Pundit
There were 7 posts on Saturday. It’s already Monday here so I promise there’s more to come
I’d love to see it just to see how they’d argue net neutrality.
5tacos
Don’t scoff at the car company notion. We should be so lucky, and Google’s already on their way: http://www.goog...e.org/recharge/
Should be interesting to see how this plays out.
Dang. I was almost certain it was slashdot.
omg google is on steroids. and yahoo is the lazy couch potatoe. like mr. potatoe from toy story.
Nice post title douchebag
Google is on the go.
http://www.meet...earchVideo.aspx
Blazing fast video search…………………………
Haha, you guys can justify any company being purchased by Google.
Darn….I was thinking it was SkribiT.
Google should buy papau new guinea, and enjoy tax-free status.
Someone got into sprint at the wrong price and now wants to see a little bump before they unload it. Seen on the soapbox aggregation site CircleID also:
http://www.circ...quiring_sprint/
Google can do a LBO on any of the big and old ones.
http://www.meetingflex.com
Blazing Fast Video Search………………………………………….:-) ———–:)
Does anybody know where I can find some blazingly fast video search?
enough with the “Blazing Fast Video Search” spam, christ.
What about Google acquiring OpenDNS? OpenDNS seems like a company that would have a good amount of data complementary to what Google already collects and has access to.
This would explain why Sprint dropped its deal with clearwire for wimax. Interesting.
And what’s up with the meetingflex spam in all of the comments?
Boy, using a sensational title sure brought them some links. Shame on those of us whoe fell for this silly “rumor”, which as far as I can tell starts and ends with TMC.
This could happen, lets just wait and see.
I heard also they were in talks with Ustream.TV for a acquisition in the live streaming space.
I suspect Google will gobble up several more companies by years end.
Google has clearly said YouTube was its last stock purchase – all future deals would be in cash. Sprint may be down, but it would still cost over $30B to take out – money even the mighty Google doesn’t have laying around. Now if Google bought something like American Tower, they could teabag every major player in one swoop.
Here’s one for you, how about Google buying NBC UNIVERSAL (which GE has put on the block) – now that would be interesting.
BTW – google buying car companies and airlines to deliver ads to drivers and passengers (and maybe pilots, lol) – bubble 2.0, here we come!
To accomplish its long-term goal of making info universally accessible (essentially causing the ultimate planetary network effects, creating the efficiencies, reaping the benefits) Goog needs to not just innovate, but cause superfluid markets to open up ahead of itself. A Sprint acquisition would make sense from this perspective.
This rumor is nothing new. Stories about Google looking at Sprint have been floating around since the iPhone launched in the US. Nice that somebody else finally noticed the rumors. Sheesh.
Anyway, the deal makes a lot of sense in some ways and not so much sense in others. Sure, it would give them their own pipe, but with it come massive customer service headaches, an alien (and some might say evil) corporate philosophy, the whole retail store side, and more.
As a Sprint user and a Google fan, I’d love for this to happen, but I am afraid Google would be risking a lot for not too much profit. Maybe there’s some untapped magic there. I hope so.
Oh for the “it’s CDMA, why would they ignore most of the rest of the world???” crowd…. Sprint has already been quietly looking at moving to GSM. It will happen within the next five years or so, either by acquisition or by outright cell tower changes. Voice users will go to GSM; the relatively few EVDO users will be sent to Wimax and the whole CDMA side will go away.
PM: “Oh for the “it’s CDMA, why would they ignore most of the rest of the world???” crowd…. Sprint has already been quietly looking at moving to GSM.”
Yea where do you come up with that, that is actually no where near what Sprint wants to do. Sprint is going to keep CDMA for a long time, especially since they are going to eventually switch all of there CDMA 850/1900 frequencies over to 2.5 GHZ frequency which will still be CDMA. The whole reason for the Sprint/Nextel Merger was because that each company owned 40% of the spectrum before they merged, giving them 80% of the total spectrum. The final 20% is owned by clearwire and is not in a position to do much larger commercial business with it, mostly public sector and rural areas for clearwire. And yes the 2.5 GHZ frequency is going to be used for Wi-Max, but eventually all of Sprint’s products will work off of that frequency alone.
As far as Google acquiring Sprint, well it would be nice, but I don’t know how willing Google would want to buy a company with such bad customer service.
What looks more likely is that Sprint will spin off XOHM (there Wi-max division) into a subsidiary company and maybe Google will have a bigger hand in that. They already have signed a deal with Sprint to be the main portal on XOHM devices, so maybe they will take it a step farther and purchase a piece of XOHM.
One can only hope as much.
lol! Fantastic post, Duncan. I’m loving The Google… less facebook, more google! (and you can throw in all the mac you want along the way
)
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http://www.picanswers.com is a cool site for questions that can be asked about pictures and photos.