So there is going to be a Google phone?

No “G-phone” yet, or attempt by Google to take charge of the way consumers interact with the world through their mobiles.

What is this all about then?

It is called the Open Handset Alliance, and it is a broad coalition of partners from within the telecommunications industry, led by Google, that are collaborating on a free, openly available and customisable operating system for mobile phones.

What does that mean?

It claims to make the experience of using the internet on mobiles better.

Can’t I already access the web on my phone?

You can but, typically, it can be quite disappointing. The browser has been limited, and there has been an attempt by operators to control access to the internet via their own portals. That has meant users have not been able to use the web as easily on their phones as they can on their computers.

How will Google change this?

Its new operating system, called Android, is an attempt to open up a mobile’s internet capability. No longer will device manufacturers such as Motorola and HTC, or operators, such as T-Mobile, have the final say on how the internet or other web-based services appear to owners of the device. Instead users would be free to customise their phones how they liked.

In other words?

If the phone is a blank canvas and the web with all its groovy features – YouTube, Google Maps, Skype, Facebook, e-mail, messaging – are the colours on the palette, then Android would let owners paint how they like – in theory at least.

Is that not a bit Utopian?

To some extent. Providers of web services, such as Google, will still want to deal with operators and handset manufacturers to ensure that their service or application appears prominently when a user plucks a phone off the shelf. So a phone’s internet capabilities will, to some extent, still be “mapped out” when a user signs a contract. It remains to be seen how easy operators selling Android-powered phones will make it for customers to get new services.

When will they be available?

The first Android-powered devices will be available in the second half of next year.

What do mobile operators say?

They are sceptical, which is why none – with the exception of T-Mobile – has signed on. Google knows that the mobile internet revenue model will take a share of the advertising that is sold alongside various web-based services, which is why it supports any move to broaden the number of services available. It can then serve the ads when people use them. Operators also want to increase revenues from web services, but they would rather have greater control over how the funds are generated.

Who else is part of the alliance?

More than 30 companies – many of them giants in the industry. Motorola, Samsung and T-Mobile are just a few.

Might Google still launch its own handset?

Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, has not ruled it out. He said that were a Google phone to come to market, Android would be a great platform on which to run it.

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