The biggest surprise about Google’s recent announcement of private 5G services is that it has taken until now. As noted earlier this month, Google has now formally unveiled this offering, after various pre- launch exposures, some months after its two rival hyperscalers, Amazon and Microsoft. This is yet another play in private 5G networks, where there is now competition, partnership and coopetition between providers in various categories. For operators, the hyperscalers can be both partners and rivals, although the big three vary in their stances on this count, as on others. They have different strengths and for Google a key asset is its position as custodian of the Android operating system, which makes it well placed to deliver…