Microsoft Will Not Bid in Wireless Airwaves Auction, Says Steve Ballmer

6:10 am on October 25, 2007 | Category: Business, Telecom Services, Wireless, Cellular

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Software giant, Microsoft Corp., has put an end to rumours that it will participate in America’s next wireless airwaves auction, despite arch-rival Google’s ongoing interest in bidding for spectrum.

“What would it buy us to buy a piece of spectrum, one piece of spectrum in one country,” said Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, at the recent CTIA wireless conference in San Francisco. “It would do a lot to alienate the telecom industry.”

Leading search engine, Google Inc., surprised the telecommunications industry earlier this year when it announced plans to spend at least $4.6 billion on 700-megahertz wireless airwaves, provided that certain conditions were met. Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, said in August that the company still had tentative plans to bid, even though not all of its demands had been satisfied.

Google is rumoured to be planning its own foray into the cell phone business, as a way to carve out a larger niche in the emerging mobile advertising market. This in turn has spurred speculation that other internet advertising companies, including Microsoft, could make a play for the wireless sector.

Mr. Ballmer refused to address Google’s plans directly, but said that Microsoft’s interest was in selling mobile software to existing handset makers; not setting up its own wireless networks.

“Nobody knows what will happen out of some of our competitors because they are rumored to be doing a lot of things so we will have to wait and see,” Ballmer commented.

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    Published by TeleClick Enterprises
    Edited by Jeremy Maddock