Google may launch its own wireless carrier service at any moment

It's been rumored for more than a year that Google has been working on a wireless service for smartphones, but now, the company is expected to launch the service in the U.S. as early as Wednesday, according to a new report.

Google will offer talk and data plans to customers as a part of a move that will put it in competition with local wireless providers, such as AT&T and Verizon, the Wall Street Journalreported.

The effort would be a departure from Google's core business, and signals an even greater emphasis on mobile.

The effort would be a departure from Google's core business, and signals an even greater emphasis on mobile.

The report said users will be able to pay for how much data they actually use (i.e. phone calls, app usage, etc.). In contrast, wireless service providers typically offer a monthly bulk rate for data. However, only Nexus 6 smartphone users will immediately have access to the wireless service, which would give Google a very small sample size of customers for testing purposes, according to the report.

Google, which aims to differentiate itself in the wireless market, will have two services: one for making calls and using data via Wi-Fi, and a more pricy version for using data on cellular radio signals.

Although Google declined to comment on Wednesday, senior vice-president Sundar Pichai confirmed in March that the company is working on a wireless service on a "small scale." It's believed that Google isn't building a wireless network, but rather will become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO); this means it could buy "wholesale access" from Sprint and T-Mobile networks, and then sell cellular plans to its own customers.

Pichai said Google will be treating the experiment as an experience, similar to how it approached the first Nexus phone. After that program succeeded, the company decided to invest more time and resources into growing the brand.

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