Days after Verizon announced that it would open its network, Google has confirmed that it will bid at the upcoming FCC wireless spectrum auction, pitting the internet giant against the carriers in a mobile space that's rapidly heating up. 

Google had previously maneuvered to get regulators to mandate that the winner of the spectrum operate it on an open basis. The FCC agreed to half of Google's suggestions, including the provision that allows consumers to use any mobile device and third-party application on the spectrum.

Consumers aside, the decision to bid on the spectrum could portend even greater ambitions from Google. Earlier this month, word broke that Google was operating an experimental wireless network at its Mountain View, Calif., campus. That news has prompted some mobile analysts to see Google's mobile play as a direct threat to carriers.