With Google intending to bid on valuable 700 mhz spectrum up for auction by the FCC next month, can we expect a new player in the U.S. mobile service provider space? Analysts and Silicon Valley journalists aren't betting on it. Google and advocacy groups (lobbyists) pushed earlier this year for consumer freedom to choose their own mobile device and software application for the new wireless network once it's launched by the winning bidder. Just as open source developers and startups are forcing Microsoft to evolve, Google is pressuring mobile carriers like Verizon and AT&T into a more consumer-friendly business model. First Android, then the Open Handset Alliance. I'm rooting for more choice. In Germany, two carriers are battling over a locked version of Apple's iPhone, exclusive there to T-Mobile. Vodafone wants a chance to grab some of the revenue from two-year customer contracts and is hoping for a favorable legal ruling Monday. Will they win?
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