Official Blog
The latest news from the Fiber team
Access’ Next Steps with Citizens Broadband Radio Service
Friday, February 24, 2017
If you’ve ever tried to make a call in a hotel or at a conference, only to realize there is no connectivity, or it is too slow to use, you understand the importance of having high capacity wireless networks. We have been working with operators and hardware manufacturers towards a radically new spectrum sharing technique to make bandwidth readily abundant and accessible in the U.S.
The shared spectrum approach is being applied to the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band (3.55GHz-3.7GHz). CBRS will allow large venues such as enterprises, concert halls, sports arenas, theme parks, shopping malls — and yes even hotels and conference centers — to easily deploy private, wireless LTE networks without spending billions to lease spectrum. This will enable more innovation in wireless applications and products going forward.
There are three requirements for the CBRS band to be ready for prime time: (1) a Spectrum Access System (SAS), as mandated by the FCC to manage spectrum sharing; (2) a robust hardware ecosystem; and (3) the deployment of wireless networks. Today, we’ve hit major milestones in the first two requirements: we’ve completed an end-to-end test of consumer devices connecting to CBRS base stations, and formed a trusted tester program to ensure interoperability between CBRS base stations and the Access SAS.
The availability of CBRS consumer devices isn’t so far off. In fact, we’ve demonstrated two device firsts in the band by showing end-to-end operation of phones using Qualcomm (Snapdragon X20 Gigabit LTE modem) and Spreadtrum SOC chipsets, as well as MiFi devices from Juni/Infomark. This is a major milestone for the CBRS band. While it will take time for CBRS phones to be pervasive in the market, MiFi devices provide an excellent bridge in the near term.
On the network hardware side of things, we are introducing the Trusted Tester Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device (CBSD) Program. Trusted testers can now sign up to run a series of self-service tests to ensure their base station equipment works with the Access SAS. The Access SAS communicates to these radios and provisions spectrum in the band in accordance with FCC regulations, and ultimately makes sure that the spectrum gets used fairly and efficiently. Our first batch of successful pre-testers include Nokia, Juni, ZTE, Sercomm, Ericsson, and Ruckus Wireless, representing a diverse group of manufacturers, with experience spanning from small cells to macro cells, as well as indoor and outdoor use cases. SAS certification is expected to happen this year, so we are building the foundation for a functioning and collaborative environment now.
We’ll continue to work with industry leaders and new participants to realize the promise of shared spectrum, which we believe is the key to abundant and low cost wireless. The industry is ready for private LTE deployments, and this year has set the foundation for this, and future innovation.
See you at Mobile World Congress!
Posted by Mathew Varghese, Product Lead for Mobility
~~~~
author.name: Mathew Varghese
author.title: Mobility Product Lead
category: product_news
Webpass goes Mile High with the last mile
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Webpass is adding a new pin to the map today: Denver. The company has identified its first apartment community to receive Webpass service. Residents across the Mile-High City, whose buildings are wired with Ethernet, will be able to contact Webpass and sign up for superfast Internet service — up to a gigabit per second!
To lead and grow our local business, we have hired General Manager, Roger Fitch. Roger has worked in telecom and Internet for nearly 30 years and brings plenty of local expertise to our new home office in Denver.
Webpass Denver launch team
Webpass is currently building out its local data center stack that will allow installation of point-to-point wireless radios to provide service to customers.
We can’t wait for Denverites to experience the difference of Webpass Internet — from a fast and seamless install experience, to high-touch, dedicated customer support. With Webpass, customers are connected with superfast speeds of up to a gigabit, perfect for cutting the cord or running your small business.
Customers can learn more about our service
here
, or contact 1-800-WEBPASS.
Posted by Charles Barr, founder, Webpass
~~~~
author.name: Charles Barr
author.title: Webpass Founder
category: city_news
Google Fiber arrives in Raleigh: announcing customer signups and our new Fiber Space
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
Just five months after launching in Morrisville, today Google Fiber is accepting sign-ups for residents and businesses in the North Hills, midtown area of
Raleigh
. Those who sign up will have the opportunity to join the many Morrisville residents now using Google Fiber. If you live in the broader Triangle, check your address and be among the first to know where we go next, at
fiber.google.com/triangle
.
Google Fiber installation van, Raleigh skyline. Van art by Adam Dixon; photographed by Stephen Sugg
We’re also happy to announce the grand opening of our brand new Raleigh Fiber Space, in the historic 518 West Jones building in Glenwood South. Come step inside and take Google Fiber’s superfast Gigabit Internet and TV for a spin. Our first community event takes place this week during
Raleigh First Friday
. In celebration of our local artist community and to kick off Black History Month, we are unveiling the latest addition to Raleigh’s mural scene, created by Victor Knight, III, as well as some of his other works. Providing beats for the evening will be local legend, 9th Wonder. We hope you can join us!
Grand opening of the Google Fiber Space in Raleigh. Photographed by Aaron Lindberg
Finally, we’re continuing our work in the community to help those most impacted by the digital divide. We’re thrilled to share today that we’re preparing to serve our first Gigabit Communities property at The Oaks in the coming months. Gigabit Communities is a Google Fiber program that brings free gigabit Internet to residents in select public and low-income housing properties. We know that digital literacy is an important component of any inclusion program, so we’ve been working closely with nonprofits across the Triangle, including Code the Dream, The Forge Institute and ThinkHouse, and to support
digital inclusion fellows
at the Kramden Institute and the Triangle Literacy Council.
Raleigh residents in North Hills, midtown will be able to sign up for one of the following plans:
See
https://fiber.google.com/cities/triangle/plans
for more information
Eligible small businesses can sign up for
one of three
business offerings.
Our teams remain hard at work building one of the largest infrastructure projects in Triangle history and we can’t wait for even more customers in the Triangle to give Fiber a try. You can track our construction progress on our website:
fiber.google.com/triangle
. And if you live in an apartment building, while you’re there you can check out our
Apartment Finder
to see if your building is on track to get Fiber soon.
Happy surfing!
Posted by Erik Garr, Southeast Regional Manager, Google Fiber
Note for reporters: download our press kit at
www.google.com/fiber/trianglepresskit
.
~~~~
author.name: Erik Garr
author.title: Southeast Regional Manager
category: city_news
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