No matter your opinion of Google, most will agree that Google Fiber is a good thing for not only consumers, but the industry as a whole; as it puts pressure on ISPs and gives consumers another option for broadband. Because of this, hearing that Google is about to launch a wireless service too sounds fantastic, but the end result will likely have less impact than Google Fiber.
Here"s the deal, at Mobile World Congress, Google"s Sundar Pichai confirmed plans to become a wireless provider but the company will be using MNVO to launch their service. This means that Google will be using Verizon/Sprint/AT&T/T-Mobile"s service and build on-top of their platform to build out their own network. This means that Google will still be at the mercy of these wireless carriers so this is not a grassroots movement for the company.
Google said that they are building out a "small scale" network to show carriers what is possible, which means your hopes for the Mountain View based company to completely disrupt the wireless networks in the US is not going to happen, yet. Google could still build out their own network in the future but at this time, that is not their plan.
One way Google wants to show carriers what can be done with their networks is that when a call drops, Google"s MNVO service will automatically bring the call back by re-connecting the two users.
The service is said to be launching in the coming months, but no word on pricing or where the service will be available.
Source: @amir