Is Google Serious About The 700MHz Auction? Yes. Probably.

Red Herring late last week published a speculative piece questioning Google’s candor in seeking the 700MHz spectrum to be auctioned in January. The article’s author, Cassimir Medford, pondered whether the Web giant truly does seek the “C” block it now officially claims to crave, or simply wishes to instigate a disturbance in the world of wireless communications in the US through a public showing of intent, throwing its financial weight around as a means of attaining the end it so desires: a solid foothold on the software side of the mobile technology space.

And while one can logically arrive at such a preliminary conclusion (all conclusions as to the auction made in the critical arena, after all, are preliminary at present), seeing Google as a source of influence but not complete conviction in the instance of the 700MHz bid it will present next month, I’ll venture to postulate the contrary and consider Big G as a party very serious about going “all the way".

Or as much of the way as the company deems reasonable. Of course it wouldn’t proceed to duel with a competing entity if it meant having to offer 200% any figure it deemed relatively sensible, but neither would Verizon or any other corporation if the opposite were to be the case. So, in all, heads will presumably be somewhat cool and collected when the day of reckoning is upon the bidding circle.

Now, why do I believe Google’s going to proffer a legitimate, competitive bid? Because it wishes to tap the potential of a network all its own. Duh.

No, no, it’s not looking to go proprietary on us. Google doesn’t wish to hold the doors to a “Google Wireless” network open to those it favors and closed to those it does not. That’s not what I see the plan to be. Rather, the company really just sees that a grand possibility has presented itself in this auction – a possibility that will enable it great freedom in an increasingly wireless future; freedom it indeed promises to grant equally to other parties, even those in direct competition with itself (the company is no doubt quite righteous and cocksure) – and it understands that to allow the moment to pass with disinterest and nonchalance on its own part would be thoroughly non-Google-like. And Google doesn’t want to be non-Google-like. Google wants to be Google-like. Obviously.

So that’s that. In the mind if this observer, Google isn’t going at this auction blithely nor casually. It has glimpsed the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, and it rather likes the idea of what it will have if it so ventures through to the other side.

Heck, if you really think about it, GOOG pretty much has to go for it. How else to throw that ticker price north of 700, 800, and ever onward north?