Google Fiber Is Expanding Its Gigabit-class Wireless Service

As the rate of Internet users in America grows exponentially and ceaselessly in the past few years, many advancements in the field had been made to satisfy the greater demand. The tech giant Google’s Fiber project is one of these advancements with the chief goal of bringing the unprecedented gigabit-class Internet to Americans. Although the original Fiber - true to its name - offers high-speed Internet via wired, fiber optics connection. The branch project, Webpass, offers Wi-Fi connection with the same connectivity speed and hyper low latency nature.

Though the Webpass project has rolled out limitedly in a few regions in the country, residents in Austin, Texas will be the next to try it out. Google Fiber has announced that it’s moving Webpass to Austin, making the Texan country the eighth metro area in the entire country to be covered by the service. The initiative hopes that its point-to-point wireless Internet tech is able to aid a dense user environment like high-occupancy residential buildings as well as commercial buildings via roof-mounted antennas.

Troubled Launch

While the company passes every speed checks with flying colors, Google’s expansion of its broadband infrastructure has been a rocky one. In 2017, the initiative went through a restructure. Instead of betting its future on high-bandwidth fiber-optic connectivity, citing costs, the company now switches its focus on the wireless connection.

Louisville in this year’s February was the first to see a withdrawal of fiber optics service after a couple of challenges with the infrastructure led to technical problems. Webpass itself (Acquired by Google in 2016) also pulled its service out of Boston in 2018. The company hasn’t seen deployment into new cities ever since.

Slow Expansion, But Is It Steady?

According to the report, even when the company has moved its operation to Austin, the pace at which the net grows is still slower than anyone - customers and officials alike - could expect. Webpass is only available for use in 28 public buildings, nowhere else.

But looking on the bright side, Webpass will probably not see the problems of wiring similar to Google Fiber considering it is wireless. This gives it an advantage of being much easier to use, set-up, and even cheaper.