While AT&T, Inc. (NYSE: T) continues to bask in the sunlight of huge iPhone 3G sales, competitor Verizon Wireless isn't doing too shabby, either. In fact, one analyst says both wireless carriers are stealing all the customers and thunder from the other wireless carriers in the U.S. and riding off into the sunset. Those other wireless carriers? They're stuck eating dust at the moment.

Craig Moffett of Bernstein Research mentioned the U.S. economic slowdown as magnifying the effect, while stating "There simply isn't enough growth left in the market to support all players." He's right -- carriers like Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) have been struggling for quite some time (even installing a new CEO), and fourth-largest carrier T-Mobile is just standing by gaining customers as needed. At the same time, AT&T and Verizon Wireless continue to grow. Remember, these are the remnants of the old telco companies that are now becoming monopolistic just as they were in the 1980s with the landline telephone market. Yes, I said monopolistic.

Moffett added that the rapid decline in voice spending with wireless carriers has not been made up, as hoped, with wireless data and texting revenues (even with rising prices). Moffett then added, "That makes subscriber growth -- again -- virtually the sole growth engine for the U.S. wireless industry." With wireless maturing as an industry, are there growth times ahead, or just a consolidation of carriers as all markets are saturated? Growth, especially in 2009, will be hard to come by.

When Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) purchased wireless software development company Android years ago, its founder asked Google's co-founder Larry Page, "Is this interesting to Google?" It sure turned out to be, although the mobile phone operating system environment was announced almost a year ago and nothing concrete has shipped in a customer device yet. My bet is that Google isn't delaying development to fine-tune its software -- it's had years to do that and the money to boot.

The problem is the wireless environment in the U.S., for starters. The competitive landscape is so tightly controlled that Google's mantra of "open access" just won't sit well with wireless carriers used to telling customers what they can and cannot do with their phones. If you think U.S. consumers have control over their wireless lifestyles, a quick trip to Europe will dispel that notion pretty fast.

If Google really wants to make Android the ubiquitous, free and open mobile operating system it wants it to be, what are the alternatives to having partnerships with mobile carriers who will, of course, be afraid of Google? Google has bid on wireless airwaves before (only to have the goal of allowing open devices accessible to closed networks), but this time, I see it going down the mobile virtual network operator route, plain and simple. Although the MVNO model has largely failed in the U.S., Google doesn't have a national wireless network to operate. But with its large pockets, it sure can buy wholesale from the existing carriers and place its Android customers with service -- and then, give them anything they want. Like, mobile search results with ads next to them.