Mark Evans

Google's ISP Plans?

With Google Talk and Google Desktop released into the wild, the question on the minds of many people is what's next for Google strategically? Broadband Reports suggests a Google portal featuring Mozilla tools that would be used by ISPs through a marketing agreement - rather than Google running a Wi-Fi network or traditional ISP service. While it's an interesting idea, Google has shown tepid interest in the portal market - at least so far. I dabbled with the Google homepage earlier this year but haven't used it much since or heard anything from Google in terms of an upgrade. Perhaps the portal strategy will unfold after Google Talk and Google Desktop gain some momentum and/or market share. As for relationships with ISPs, who's Google going to partner with? Given Yahoo has made strong inroads with the telcos, does Google pursue the cable market? Does Google strike deals with dial-up ISPs, which are still vibrant and need no-frills tools to maintain customers? Or does Google simply launch its own stand-alone portal? With more than $6-billion in the bank - assuming Google completes its $4.2-billion secondary offering - the company has the financial clout to do pretty much what it likes.