Google is secretly trying to test a 6GHz network in 17 different states, according to a batch of FCC filings detected by Business Insider. But exactly what Google’s attempt to test is unclear.
Here are a few things we know. Google wants to experiment with 6GHz spectrum to “produce technical information relevant to the utility 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 conduct the tests in 26 cities and towns in 17 states – including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas , Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
Besides, there’s not much we can tell from these documents – and there are many possibilities for what Google wants with that 6GHz spectrum. The language “providing reliable broadband connections” would suggest that Google would like to experiment with one type of Internet service for home – perhaps a potential future offering under the Google Fiber Webpass banner.
But Google could have other uses for that 6GHz spectrum as well. Only recently did the FCC approve a plot of unlicensed 6GHz spectrum, and any number of things could benefit from it. Wi-Fi 6E routers may run at 6GHz, as can auto-to-car communication, and the latest 5G specifications suggest that unlicensed 6GHz spectrum could even be used for 5G cellular networks. Google is not limited to existing ideas though – it’s called unlicensed spectrum for a reason.
The thing to know about 6GHz is that it is expected to enable faster and more reliable connections – it can carry more bandwidth than the 2.4GHz or 5GHz connections you may already be familiar with, and d ‘ r could also be less wireless interference between devices. But just as 5GHz Wi-Fi offers shorter range than 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, it is likely that 6GHz networks have even shorter range.
We do not know what Google is currently working on. But the filings tell us that Google hopes to use that newly opened 6GHz spectrum for some kind of “secret commercially valuable plan”, and we are quite envious of what that might be.
