Google is in discussions with Hutchison Whampoa about enabling US consumers to use their phones abroad without incurring additional roaming charges, according to The Telegraph.

The search giant wants users to be charged the same for voice, text or data wherever they are in the world – another leg in the disruptive mobile service it plans for the US market.

Striking a wholesale agreement with Hutchison would give it access to a number of markets, including the UK, Italy and Hong Kong, where the group owns operators.

Google’s strategy fits with Hutch’s own philosophy. 3 UK’s  Feel at Home tariff enables  subscribers to use calls, SMS and data from their domestic allowance with no extra cost when travelling abroad to certain countries.

Speaking at last month’s Mobile World Congress, Sundar Pichai (pictured), SVP of products at Google, confirmed long-running speculation that it would announce plans to offer its own mobile services in the coming months.

However, he stressed that Google does not intend to be a network operator at scale. Pichai said in response to questions about the launch of a possible Google MVNO that the company is working on a project together with carrier partners. “Our goal here is to drive a set of innovations,” he said.

The model would be its approach to its Nexus smartphone programme, where Google leaves others to serve the mass market. A no-roaming charge deal with Hutch would fit with such an approach since it is a reworking of a traditional approach in the industry, so bringing pressure to bear on operators.