Google’s Gphone in India

Google, the search engine major, is believed to be a 15days away from the worldwide launch of its much-awaited Google Phone(Gphone) and has started talks with service providers in India for an exclusive launch on one of their networks.Talks are believed to be taking place with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, respectively India’s first- and third-largest mobile telephony operators, and state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam.Sources close to the development said a simultaneous launch across the US and Europe is expected, and announcements would be sent to media firms in India and other parts of the world. US regulatory approval, which is expected soon, is the only hurdle that Google is waiting to cross, they added. Google plans to invest $7-8 billion for its global telephony foray.In India, it is also believed to be in talks with Indian providers to offer data and content and platforms including Instant Messaging (IM) and Search functions.