The search giant Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) has filed a petition to the Federal Communications Commission to begin testing for high-speed home broadband, according to the document submitted on August 5.
Google’s move follows a complicated couple of months for the tech company, as its internet service provider venture Google Fiber has had some limitations and missteps in rolling out its preliminary infrastructure. Luckily, the project is still in its experimental phase, which allows the San Francisco-based enterprise to recalculate and find more efficient approaches.
The public document submitted by Google suggests a different approach from the initial fiber optic cable setup that it currently offers in selected U.S. locations, as the new wireless alternative intends to provide super-fast broadband internet to some 24 cities around the country relying on the 3.5GHz band to do so.
Who exactly will be getting the new wireless Fiber?
First and foremost, it is important to note that Google’s filing is a request that is still pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission. However, the government organ has recently taken some encouraging actions, as it has stepped away from its usual bureaucratic processes in favor of speeding up experimental 5G testing in the U.S.
With this in mind, the petition from Google Fiber should have no trouble passing the filters and getting that thumbs-up from the Commission. However, this does not mean that we all suddenly get the neck-breaking speeds offered by Google.
Much like its physical fiber optic cable brother service, Google Fiber’s wireless arm will be limited to a restricted number of testers, most of which are individuals working at Google itself or closely monitored by the tech mogul.
End-users of the service will include employees and contractors of the firm, with some carefully selected third-party testers too as it has been with the initial Google Fiber rollout.
On its primary stage, the wireless venture will reportedly be tested among users located in Californian cities including Atwater, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Bruno, San Francisco, and San Jose. Out of Google’s home state, the service will deploy in Boulder, Colorado; Kansas City, Kansas; Omaha, Nebraska; Raleigh, North Carolina; Provo, Utah; and Reston, Virginia.
Further test cities expected to get Google Fiber wireless broadband at latter stages include Los Angeles, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; Las Vegas, Nevada; New York, New York; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; and Blacksburg, Virginia.