I have become rather skeptical of anything Google.
It is understood that Google’s value proposition to local mobile operators and Wi-Fi players is a revenue share opportunity on advertising revenue.
Google’s local operator partner will be responsible for all the costs related to the Wi-Fi hotspots, including the telecoms infrastructure, hardware, and maintenance.
In return, Google Station will show advertisements to people who use the service and share this revenue with the operator.
Industry players told MyBroadband that the revenue generated through advertising is unlikely to cover the investment and maintenance costs of the hotspot network, however.
An added concern for mobile operators is that their subscribers will then use free Wi-Fi data instead of mobile data, which further deteriorates the business case.