Google could be aiming at Skype with Google Voice mobile push

Google is playing up the budding relationships it is forming with wireless carriers around its launch of Google Voice, according to an article in BusinessWeek. Google, which already co-brands the G1 Android smartphone with T-Mobile, has restricted Voice's access to WiFi connections, which causes customers to use their paid mobile minutes to make Google Voice calls. Some analysts see this as a sign Google is catering to carriers to smooth the way for greater adoption of the service. VoIP market analyst Jon Arnold says in the article that he doesn't think Google has ambitions to become a phone company, however, and the carrier-friendly policies so far introduced by Google signal a partner role could be more likely.

Google Voice's mobile rates [1] are lower than Skype's [2] in most top international calling markets, including Germany, France, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, China, and the United Kingdom, according to a comparison of posted rates. Google Voice doesn't break out the mobile rate for calls to India, but the rate to landline phones is also less than Skype's. Google also has announced plans for a Google Voice application for the iPhone and has already rolled out apps for BlackBerry and Android phones, which could increase adoption and use of the service dramatically.

Skype's user base, however, is obviously orders of magnitude larger than Google Voice's at this point, so it remains to be seen if Google Voice will ever be able to scale like Skype has. Google's push into the mobile market as a partner with carriers, rather than appearing as a substitution threat, could help the company eat away at Skype's sizable present advantage.

For more:
- see the BusinessWeek article here [3]
- see Google Voice's international rates here [1]
- see Skype's international rates here [2] 

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