The city of Austin, Texas has had Google Fiber since 2014, but will soon get wireless gigabit speed offerings via Webpass. A gigabit connection (1 Gbps or 1,000 Mbps) is 10 to 100 times what most people are accustomed to, and will change the Internet as we know it.
This point-to-point wireless Internet service uses rooftop antennas to transmit the signal. Google has also been offering a wired fiber optic service. However, they decided to focus more on their wireless broadband services in 2017.
Benefits aside, the rollout of fiber hasn’t been easy or particularly fast. It had to be pulled out of Louisville and Boston (the wireless service) due to infrastructural issues. The expansion of Fiber to Austin marks a much-anticipated step forward.
Fiber is currently available at 28 city-owned buildings in Austin, and Webpass’ integration should hopefully be much faster.
