The Development of Wi-Fi First''s Business Model: Google Project Fi as an Example

• Main Authors: Guo-Yuan Li, 李國淵
• Other Authors: Ming-Je Tang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/t2s98y

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 國際企業學研究所 === 103 === In recent years, Wi-Fi Offloading has become one of the new trends of traffic offloading and derived two different business models Wi-Fi Only and Wi-Fi First. In 2012, a MVNO called Republic Wireless was the first to announce Wi-Fi First as their business model in the U.S. mobile carrier market, and one after another MVNOs, such as Scratch Wireless and FreedomPop, emerged with the same model. Most surprisingly, in April 2015, Google announced that it would enter the U.S. Mobile Carrier Industry as a cross-industry MVNO. Known as Google Project Fi, Google adapted Wi-Fi First as its business model and cooperated with Sprint and T-Mobile. At first, the rest of carriers was not positive to Google’s ambush. For example, Verizon declared that Sprint and T-Mobile did not have sufficient capacity of Cellular Network to feed Fi Network. On the other hand, AT&T said that Google Project Fi would not be a concern to their Revenue. Therefore, by using RBV and Value Net as analytical framework, this research aims to analyze mobile carrier technology, the overall situation of the U.S. Mobile Carrier Industry, Wi-Fi First technology and Google’s existing products and services, realising how Google used its resources to position Google Project Fi in the industry, and to clarify how Google competed with other companies in the U.S. Mobile Carrier Industry. At last, this paper will offer strategic advice to Project Fi by using RBV and Value Net according to the analytical results of the U.S. Mobile Carrier Industry, mobile carrier technology and Google Project Fi, hoping Google will focus on means of raising the quality, reducing the price of the U.S. mobile network, cultivating the U.S. consumers’ mobile network offloading, and utilizing Fi Network to help Google’s Core Business make more profit. Accordingly, potential competition between carriers could be avoided. Furthermore, the U.S. network could be improved, and the supply and demand of Project Fi could be stabilized, thus solving Google’s potential problems.