Link: Google chief sees free cellphones for consumers if ads OKd – Nov. 11, 2006
Web search leader Google Inc.’s chief executive, Eric Schmidt, sees a future where mobile phones are free to consumers who accept watching targeted forms of advertising.
Schmidt said Saturday that as mobile phones become more like handheld computers and consumers spend as much as eight to 10 hours a day talking, texting and using the Web on these devices, advertising becomes a viable form of subsidy.
“Your mobile phone should be free,” Schmidt told Reuters. “It just makes sense that subsidies should increase” as advertising rises on mobile phones.
The devices are already ‘free’ in the UK (most of the time) due to subsidy — but that’s certainly not the case in other parts of the world. It’s also worth distinguishing between the device cost and the service cost.
As for using your phone for 8-10 hours a day? You’d have to have a rather good mobile battery for that.
[…] Voice is practically free agreed but only in the developed world. People reading this statement believe that free phone calls are coming and make it difficult for other companies to survive or even contemplate entering the mobile space. We are totally dependent on new innovators in the cellular space and if there is no quantifiable revenue why would anyone enter the business. Thanks to Euan for the heads up Technorati Tags: Eric Schmidt, google, pat phelan, roam4free, telecoms, voiceShare and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
[…] Hot Mobile News Google: Take advertising and your mobile should be free Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, sees a future where mobile phones are free to consumers who accept watching targeted forms of advertising. He said that as mobile phones become more like handheld computers and consumers spend as much as eight to 10 hours a day talking, texting and using the Web on these devices, advertising becomes a viable form of subsidy. Orbitz Travel Goes Mobile The popular travel site is now available for your mobile device giving travel itinerary, flight status, hotel deals and availabilty for same-day travel and much more. ActiveSync out, Windows Mobile Device Center in ActiveSync has been been pushed aside for what Microsoft is calling Windows Mobile Device Center (or WMDC for short) which on paper, is looking to be easier for the end user and IT departments to install and maintain. […]