Google’s Nexus One may have gotten off to a rocky start with consumers, but the superphone is making fast inroads with wireless carriers. Google this week started selling a Nexus One that will run on ATT’s 3G network, and has also inked a deal with Sprint Nextel. Google previously struck deals with T-Mobile, Vodafone and Verizon Wireless.
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Sprint hasn’t announced pricing or the availability date, but the carrier is already priming the competitive pump with marketing messages that proclaim its network has twice the coverage of ATT and 10 times the coverage of T-Mobile.
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Meanwhile, the Nexus One is going head-to-head with Apple’s iPhone on the ATT network. ATT recently started adding Android-based phones in anticipation of its exclusive relationship with Apple ending. Sprint got into the Android market recently with the Samsung Moment and the HTC Hero. Sprint also offers Palm’s latest devices.
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Google struck deals with the carriers, but not really. There’s no carrier services being offered. The carriers are not selling the phone, said Michael Gartenberg, a partner at Altimeter Group. The best we are seeing is some degree of subsidy for the device for new users, but that’s not overly interesting.
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The Unsubsidized Factor
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ATT and Sprint customers have to access the Nexus One online store to purchase the phone. Despite a large volume of complaints about customer service, Google insists that its online experience is designed with a focus on simplicity, allowing consumers to match a phone with the service plan that best meets their needs.
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In addition to not selling the phone, it doesn’t appear that either ATT or Sprint will subsidize the Nexus One. Consumers who want to use a Nexus One on ATT’s network will pay the full price of $529 for an unlocked model, and that could hurt the Nexus One’s chances on ATT. Consumers can get…