Report: Google plans major mobile push

Google Inc. is reportedly close to entering the wireless space in a big way. Much has been speculated about the search giant’s plans for mobile, ranging from branded devices to advertising-supported minutes and open operating systems.
But, Google is ready to pull the wraps off everything it’s planning in the space within the next two weeks, according to a story in today’s Wall Street Journal. It has set out an ambitious goal of “making applications and services as accessible on cellphones as they are on the Internet,” the newspaper reported.
Google reportedly wants wireless subscribers to get a greater variety of services available to them on their cellphones. Yet, Google has a mountain to climb on its way there: carriers.
The company is expected to announce its suite of advanced software and services that it hopes to convince handset manufacturers to bring Google-powered devices to market by the middle of 2008, unnamed sources told the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported that the search giant has approached several U.S. and foreign handset makers about its plans.
Google is also reportedly seeking partnerships with operators. Sources told the Wall Street Journal that the company has made the most traction T-Mobile USA Inc. in the United States while Orange SA and 3 U.K. are vying for partnerships in France and the United Kingdom.
The newspaper also reported that Google is pushing to make the cellphones’ operating system open to allow third-party developers to build more enhanced features.
Google’s plans continue to nag at carriers that have resisted the Internet giant’s moves into mobile.