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Google is trying to secretly test a 6 GHz network in 17 different states, according to a batch of FCC filings spotted by Business intern. But exactly what Google is trying to test is unclear.
Here are a few things we do know. Google wants to experiment with the 6 GHz spectrum to “produce relevant technical information on the usefulness of these frequencies to provide reliable broadband connections.” The company also says it expects the experiments to take place over 24 months and has requested permission to do the testing in 26 cities and towns in 17 states – including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. , Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
Beyond that, there isn’t much we can say from these documents – and there are lots of possibilities for what Google could want with this 6 GHz spectrum. The language of “providing reliable broadband connections” might suggest that Google wants to experiment with some sort of home internet service – perhaps a potential future offering under the Google Fiber Webpass banner.
But Google could also have other uses for this 6 GHz spectrum. It wasn’t until recently that the FCC approved an unlicensed 6 GHz spectrum route, and there are a number of things that could benefit. 6E Wi-Fi routers can operate at 6 GHz, as can vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the latest 5G specs suggest unlicensed 6 GHz spectrum could even be used for 5G cellular networks. However, Google isn’t limited to existing ideas – it’s called unlicensed spectrum for a reason.
The thing to know about 6 GHz is that it should allow faster, more reliable connections – it can carry more bandwidth than the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz connections you may already know, and it could also be less wireless interference between devices. But just as 5 GHz Wi-Fi offers a shorter range than 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, it’s likely that 6 GHz networks will still have a shorter range.
We don’t know what Google is currently working on. But the documents tell us that Google is hoping to use this newly opened 6 GHz spectrum to some sort of a “commercially valid secret plan”, and we’re quite curious what that might be.
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