Google's Android OS Hits Snags with Mobile Carriers

Google (GOOG) is finding that launching an entirely new cell phone platform is taking longer than expected. When it first announced its Android mobile operating system, Google said the first Android phones would be available during the second half of this year. Now the mobile carriers that signed up as Android partners are pushing out their launches, with only T-Mobile still trying to get an Android phone out by the fourth quarter of this year. All the other carriers are pushing out their deployments until 2009. Reports the WSJ:

T-Mobile USA expects to deliver an Android-powered phone in the fourth period. But that launch is taking up so much of Google’s attention and resources that Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), which had hoped to launch an Android phone this year, won’t be able to, a person familiar with the matter said.

China Mobile (CHL), the largest wireless carrier in the world with nearly 400 million subscriber accounts, had planned to launch an Android phone in the third quarter but it has run into issues that will likely delay the launch until late this year or early 2009, a person familiar with the matter says.

. . . AT&T Inc. (T), the U.S. carrier for the iPhone, is still working with Google to determine if it is feasible to launch an Android phone.

Sprint wants to add its own bells and whistles to its Android service, and the recent management shakeup is not helping matters. China Mobile (CHL) is having trouble getting Android to work with Chinese characters and integrating it into its existing data services.

By the time Android phones seriously hit the market next year, there will be more than 10 million iPhones and many more Blackberries and other smart phones to contend with. Android holds a lot of promise and is generating a lot of excitement among developers, who are already creating interesting mobile apps for the platform. But without phones in consumer’s hands, it won’t matter how cool Android is.

Getting Android right is immensely important to Google, which faces a huge platform shift as the mobile Web finally starts to take off. It needs to parlay its leading position on the Web today into a leading position on the mobile Web. And it cannot do that alone. The more players involved (carriers, developers, handset manufacturers), the greater the chance for delays or other hiccups. Contrast that with Apple’s (AAPL) approach to the iPhone, where it controls every aspect it can. Which platform will win in the end?

Comments

[wallawallabingbang]

Consortiums come with immense risks of conflict, confusion and disappointment for participants.

Very few have actually flown.

Simply too many variables at play.

[CVOS SEO]

Too bad. The competition an open wireless platform offers should be good for wireless consumers.

[Chandler Lutz]

Nice Article. I think from a consumer perspective the Android is very interesting, but I'm a little confused by Google's thinking on this one. As far as I can understand Android Google will not really make any money on the mobile OS until people uses google's prominent search engine. With mobile phone users going to google.com with their ipods and blackberries already, it might make sense for google to apply their funds elsewhere. I guess this is the root of google's "problem" where they make so much money from search...

[dragon10]

I think msoft couse this, and hope that google would make G-phone on next software, and then open it to linux. Can see it.

[kylesch]

The Wall St. Journal is article is bogus FUD. There's no delay:

googlewatch.eweek.com/...

As for strategy, I think Google just wants to have a platform out there in the mobile market. By offering free software they instantly have something they can use to monetize audio, video, text. I think its a smart move since the mobile industry is a huge market.

[Yourope]

ANDROID IS DEAD

Dead before its birth...

"I don´t see any reason for Google to continue down the Android path long term now that Nokia has made its move".

I don´t see any reason for programmers to continue make applications for ANDROID now that Nokia has made its move.