Thursday, January 24, 2013

Google Builds New Experimental Wireless Network


Earlier this month, Google filed paperwork with the FCC to build a secret LTE wireless network on its Mountain View campus in California, which covers a radius of about two miles. The network will consist of 50 base stations, operating in the 2.5GHz frequency band – the same spectrum that Clearwire uses. Up to 200 “user devices” will initially be allowed on this network.
Obviously, this puts a whole new spin on rumors that have been swirling around for a long time concerning a possible Google foray into wireless service. What’s interesting about this latest finding, though, is that it appears Google might be partnering with Clearwire, since it’s using spectrum that almost no other carrier in the world has. It is highly unlikely that Google would be building devices that use this specific and obscure spectrum, unless Google was planning on doing something big with it.
A Google Clearwire partnership might also throw a huge kink into Sprint’s plans to acquire a 100% stake in Clearwire. However, at the same time, Dish did outbid Sprint, and Dish and Google were said to be in talks about a possible partnership. Could this latest FCC filing be a sign of things starting to fall in place for Google’s potential new wireless service?

Source: Pocketables

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