Google continues to load up on patents, purchases Magnolia Broadband's portfolio

Mooreland Partners advises Magnolia Broadband in the Sale of its Patent Portfolio to Google
Mooreland Partners Advises Magnolia Broadband in the Sale of Its Patents to Google
Bedminister, New Jersey/Mountain View, California – June 4, 2012 - Mooreland Partners is pleased to announce that it has acted as financial advisor to Magnolia Broadband (Magnolia) in the sale of its patent portfolio to Google (GOOG). The sale for Magnolia is the 22nd transaction advised by Mooreland Partners since the start of 2011 and the sixth announced this year.
Mooreland Partners Advises Magnolia Broadband in the Sale of Its Patents to Google
CrunchBase indicates that Magnolia Broadband is the leading innovator (and patent holder) behind Mobile Transit Diversity, a “beam forming” technology that allows wireless network providers to improve data speeds and coverage without having to make physical changes to their base stations. Which is an interesting set of patents, but not necessarily ones that would be useful in the ongoing mobile devices patent wars.
Which leads us to the question: what are they for? We should note that this isn't the first time Google has shown an interest in wireless networks - they were granted a patent for a method of bidding for network bandwidth this spring. We’re not quite ready to believe that Google plans to move into the data pipeline business in a big way (although they are laying a lot of high-speed fiber in Kansas City); perhaps these data transmission patents will play a role in some of the whole-home automation and audio projects Google is rumored to be working on?
sources: Engadget, CrunchBase