In what could be a spot-on analysis of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG)'s real intention with the upcoming FCC radio auctions, Jeff Lindsay with Sanford Bernstein says Google isn't in the auction to win anything. In general, you bid to either win what you're bidding on or you're hedging your bets as you shill bid in an attempt to pump the bid price for the competition. With that said, what could Google be up to if it's ready to bid on the FCC's wireless airwaves, but has no intention on really using any radio spectrum in the future?Lindsay indicates that Google's recent moves in the wireless industry have already made the market realize open policies for customers and devices are the wave of the wireless future. In effect, its goal is already achieved to a point where it really does not need its own radio spectrum to directly compete as a wireless service provider.
Would Google really get knee-deep in an area that's outside of its core business, and end up letting that become a distraction? Google CEO Eric Schmidt has repeatedly said that the mobile frontier harbors much more promise than even the PC web browser frontier it currently helps dominate. Was Google's real intention with applying to bid for the FCC auctions coming up shortly just a scare tactic to cement its open handset alliance position? Possibly -- but now it's playing in a new sandbox with established bullies. The auctions should be very interesting.
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