--- description: Google is reportedly discussing a potential partnership with an international wireless carrier that could move the search giant one step closer toward launching a wireless network free of international roaming charges. title: Google's Plan to Help You Make Super-Cheap Overseas Cell Calls image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4895adf1f4982f3f/698786db428a9e4928cc7fbe/464955378.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Smartphones](/tag/smartphones/) ## Smartphones Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Google's Plan to Help You Make Super-Cheap Overseas Cell Calls  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 6, 2015 4:07 PM CUT  A Google Inc. and app logos sit on the screen of a OnePlus One smartphone in this arranged photograph at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, March 2, 2015. A Google Inc. and app logos sit on the screen of a OnePlus One smartphone in this arranged photograph at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, March 2, 2015.Simon Dawson—Bloomberg / Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 6, 2015 4:07 PM CUT Google is reportedly discussing a potential partnership with an international wireless carrier that could move the search giant one step closer toward launching its own mobile network and stripping out fees for overseas calls. Sources familiar with the talks [confirmed](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/11516189/Google-in-talks-with-mobile-operators-for-cheap-overseas-calls.html "undefined") to the _Telegraph_ that Google has been discussing a partnership with Hutchison Whampoa, which runs cellular networks in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy, among other overseas destinations. Google has been [working](http://time.com/3678363/google-wireless/ "undefined") toward a launch of its own wireless network service that would work by leasing out cell phone towers from existing carriers and experimenting with new pricing models, including a flat rate for calls and data usage from anywhere within its network. \[[_Telegraph_](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/11516189/Google-in-talks-with-mobile-operators-for-cheap-overseas-calls.html "undefined")\] ### The 10 Most Ambitious Google Projects  Google Driverless Car The Google Self-Driving Car has been in the works since 2005 after a team of engineers won a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to design an autonomous car. The project, which aims to reduce traffic accidents, has made headway in recent years as states passed laws permitting self-driving cars. Google plans a commercial release between 2017 and 2020. David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Google has been testing balloons which sail into the stratosphere and beam Internet down to Earth. Jon Shenk—AP  Google's smart contact lenses. Google/AP  Google Lively Google Lively was a web-based virtual community space where users could design avatars, chat with one another and personalize their online hangout space. The project was discontinued after a six-month stint in 2008 after limited success. Google/AP  Google Earth Google's virtual map of the Earth allows users to tour the earth with 3-D satellite images. The project, which dates back to 2004, has already found significant applications in disaster relief. Google/AP  Project Ara Google's build-your-own-smartphone project allows users to customize their handsets to their own preferences, with the possibility of eliminating electronic waste by encouraging users to add hardware updates on their own terms. The team is working towards a limited market pilot in 2015. Bryan Bedder—Getty Images for Engadget Expand  Disease Detecting Pill Google unveiled its plans to disease-detecting ingestible pill in October, a project that'll let patients access their real-time health data to encourage preventative care. The pill will contain nanoparticles that can bind to certain cells and chemicals, with the possibility of detecting diseases like cancer in early stages. Getty Images  Flying Wind Turbines The flying windmill is the project of Makani Power, a wind turbine developer acquired by Google in 2013\. The tethered airborne turbines will harness wind energy for the goal of producing low-cost, renewable energy Andrea Dunlap—Makani Power/AP  Google+ Google's social networking platform launched in 2011, the most successful service after several flops at designing a Facebook competitor, like the now-retired Google Buzz. Today, Google+ boasts over half a billion monthly active users. Stephen Lam—Reuters  Google Books Google Books dates back to 2004, when Google partnered with libraries and universities to plan to digitize millions of volumes over the next several years. The project aims to make searching books as easy as searching the web. Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3772101/google-overseas-calls/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3772101/google-overseas-calls/"},"headline":"Google's Plan to Help You Make Super-Cheap Overseas Cell Calls","datePublished":"2015-04-06T16:07:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:44:56.713Z","description":"The talks come as Google prepares to launch a wireless network that could shake up carrier fees","url":"https://time.com/3772101/google-overseas-calls/","keywords":["Smartphones","Tech","Technology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4895adf1f4982f3f/698786db428a9e4928cc7fbe/464955378.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4895adf1f4982f3f/698786db428a9e4928cc7fbe/464955378.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Opening Day Of Mobile World Congress 2015","caption":"Opening Day Of Mobile World Congress 2015","creditText":"Simon Dawson—Bloomberg / Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/smartphones/","name":"Smartphones"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3772101/google-overseas-calls/","name":"Google's Plan to Help You Make Super-Cheap Overseas Cell Calls"}}]}] ```