Is Google Fiber going wireless for the last mile?

A key hurdle to widespread gigabit-speed Internet is the high cost of getting fiber optic lines over the last mile -- from the fiber backbone in nearby streets to each house. But increasingly, cellular operators, broadband providers including Google Fiber and several startups are exploring a new, less expensive way to bridge the last mile gap – wireless technology. Google Fiber – which named San Diego (CA) as a potential city for building an ultra-fast fiber optic Internet network -- said in Oct that it would pause future fiber optic roll outs in San Diego and seven other potential Google Fiber cities while it explored new approaches.

Among those is wireless, including high frequency airwaves, which can deliver gigabit data rates over short, line of sight distances but also tend to bounce erratically off obstacles and degrade in rain or fog. Don’t expect Google Fiber to incorporate wireless into fiber networks anytime soon. There are still many questions about how viable wireless can be, and what licenses would be required from federal regulators in various airwave bands. But recent improvements in antenna technology and beam forming techniques to more precisely steer these high frequency airwaves are fueling optimism about their ability to span the last mile. Certain high frequency airwaves have been earmarked to become part of the spectrum dedicated for upcoming gigabit class 5G cellular networks.