Alphabet Eyes Wireless Networks As Google Fiber's Rollout Halts

[Guest]

Alphabet's Access subsidiary announced that it's "pausing" the expansion of the fiber-optic internet service commonly known as Google Fiber to focus on developing new technologies.

Alphabet Eyes Wireless Networks As Google Fiber's Rollout Halts : Read more

 

[problematiq]

NOES!! (Oklahoma City)

 

[jaber2]

WiFi will replace cable, I hope

 

[Spazzy]

Can they keep the ping down doing it with Wireless access? For gamers, latency is as important if not more than actual speed. This doesn't seem like such a good alternative to me.

 

[problematiq]

Can they keep the ping down doing it with Wireless access? For gamers, latency is as important if not more than actual speed. This doesn't seem like such a good alternative to me.

It depends if they use a mesh network or not, and how many in the mesh are tied to the backbone. (A Wireless Mesh network is a series of AP's (Acess Points) connected together via wireless without using a fiber backbone)
Using a Mesh network increases the latency, but [strike]most[/strike] all wireless providers use to to reduce construction costs.

 

[Brian_R170]

Damn, I guess Cox will be raising my rates in the Phoenix area... again.

I keep reading that 5G is going to be a game-changer, but I'm not convinced it will roll out quick enough or be a suitable replacement for fiber/cable/telco.

 

[grimfox]

Hopefully their wireless technology is better than 4g. I supposedly have 4 bars of 4gLTE at work but barely see speeds over 1mbps. That tower is less than a mile away. In my house the signal is even more spotty it's easier to use my personal wifi. But if my wifi has to rely on a getting to the same spotty signal? not worth it.

 

[problematiq]

Hopefully their wireless technology is better than 4g. I supposedly have 4 bars of 4gLTE at work but barely see speeds over 1mbps. That tower is less than a mile away. In my house the signal is even more spotty it's easier to use my personal wifi. But if my wifi has to rely on a getting to the same spotty signal? not worth it.

Wireless towers have an umbrella dead zone near them, so if you live too close to a tower you get no signal.

 

[problematiq]

Damn, I guess Cox will be raising my rates in the Phoenix area... again.

I keep reading that 5G is going to be a game-changer, but I'm not convinced it will roll out quick enough or be a suitable replacement for fiber/cable/telco.

The downside for 5G is that it will require higher frequency on the EM spectrum. The higher the frequency the lower the coverage. 5G might deploy slowly in larger city's but it will most likely not make its way to rural areas or smaller towns. You will probably be fine in Phoenix though.

 

[Beholder88]

It's all about money. Money wasn't flowing in the correct direction somewhere, and they see wireless as a higher yield financially. Who wants to bet they try to buy a cellular provider...

 

[jeremy2020]

It has a lot to do with Make Ready rules that make it take 9 months to get access to a utility pole to lay down fiber. AT&T and Comcast make it as difficult as possible for Google or anyone else to get access to deploy new fiber to threaten their monopolies.

 

[problematiq]

It has a lot to do with Make Ready rules that make it take 9 months to get access to a utility pole to lay down fiber. AT&T and Comcast make it as difficult as possible for Google or anyone else to get access to deploy new fiber to threaten their monopolies.

This guy understands. Most people don't realize that in most of your city's that you have to get approval from AT&T and the cable company in order to run fiber. (as long as it's not a point to point approved by the city.)

 

[jaber2]

Cable companies can now take a sigh of relief knowing their empire of monopoly will continue to proceed.

 

[bit_user]

This is sad news. No way will wireless ever be as good as fiber.

I bet real-estate prices for equivalent houses will be higher in neighborhoods that have Google fiber.