Google Fiber

[Ginkasa]

So that means they will still lay their own fiber? How will houses get internet?

My understanding is the wireless technology used here is a highly targeted point to point connection, not the wide area wi-fi you typically think of when you think of a wireless connection. There would be hubs that would be connected wireless in this fashion. The cable would come out of these hubs into the individual homes.

So, for the end user you probably wouldn't notice a difference as far as that goes. Its the larger network that is affected.

[Plutonic Panda]

My understanding is the wireless technology used here is a highly targeted point to point connection, not the wide area wi-fi you typically think of when you think of a wireless connection. There would be hubs that would be connected wireless in this fashion. The cable would come out of these hubs into the individual homes.

So, for the end user you probably wouldn't notice a difference as far as that goes. Its the larger network that is affected.

tbh, I still don't fully understand it but I get the idea.

[jn1780]

My understanding is the wireless technology used here is a highly targeted point to point connection, not the wide area wi-fi you typically think of when you think of a wireless connection. There would be hubs that would be connected wireless in this fashion. The cable would come out of these hubs into the individual homes.

So, for the end user you probably wouldn't notice a difference as far as that goes. Its the larger network that is affected.

Right, which works best in urban areas where you can set up one antenna on top an apartment building and have a network hub setup in that building.

[NoOkie]

Right, which works best in urban areas where you can set up one antenna on top an apartment building and have a network hub setup in that building.

There are already plenty of WISPs in the area that service rural users using long range wifi and microwave connections. I think they're gone now, but we used to have an in-town WISP that used point to point microwave transmitters to provide faster broadband than cox or AT&T was providing at the time. They had(have?) transmitters on the Chase building, the Valiance building, 50 penn place, etc. I had a fair number of business clients that used them when I started at a local MSP in 2007.

My guess is that Google has either already figured out or is banking on figuring out how to make the client-end equipment more economical than running fiber to the home for the last mile. AT&T has already shown they're willing to litigate and delay every inch of that last mile in Austin and Louisville, so they may see this as a way to just go around the road blocks. Building out backhaul is a fairly straightforward, though expensive process. Branching out from the node the backhaul feeds to hundreds or thousands of residential customers is pretty complex logistically and provides lots of ways for competition to litigate. If your last mile install is just slapping a microwave dish on someone's house, you avoid all that litigation potential.

That being said, radio has its own set of issues. Weather can be much more of a factor(Have to keep the radios from icing up), plus you have to worry about alignment and line of sight if point to point. I'm genuinely curious to see if this is just point to point, or if they're going to try to do some sort of new distribution model. Something like p2p microwave transmission to a neighborhood distribution point, and then wifi from the distribution point to the home. Or some crazy mesh stuff.

[Zuplar]

Yeah honestly I'm surprised they went the fiber route in the first place. I figured they were going to try to leapfrog and just turn entire cities into a mesh network so you could just get internet everywhere. That way you only need fiber running to a couple of tie-in points.

I used to think that was the ultimate plan, but clearly they think they can make more money the other way.

[stile99]

The death star is dealt a crushing blow:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...-construction/

[jn1780]

The death star is dealt a crushing blow:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...-construction/

Umm, what am I missing? Didn't Google already give up on fiber? I don't think Google abandoned most of their efforts because of this issue. I think they set this on the back burner until wireless gets more efficient and affordable. My opinion of Google is that they don't want to do the resource intensive work required to bring fiber across the U.S. The profit margins are not that great.

[stile99]

Umm, what am I missing? Didn't Google already give up on fiber?

Not according to that link, and not according to Google.

https://fiber.googleblog.com/

[jn1780]

Not according to that link, and not according to Google.

https://fiber.googleblog.com/

Ok, they significantly slowed down existing projects and "paused" upcoming ones. They have webpass now which is expanding, but this is aimed at apartment buildings in larger cities. I'm going to stick to my claim that for the most part they put a large scale deployment of high speed internet on the back burner until technology advances.

I hate to be the debbie downer for something I would jump on immediately if made available in Oklahoma City.

[stile99]

For the people who keep insisting Google Fiber is dead:

https://arstechnica.com/information-...ment-strategy/

All hail the Zombie Google Fiber!

[Jersey Boss]

https://fiber.google.com/about/

OKC is currently considered a "potential" city.

[foodiefan]

if you click on OKC on the link, you can request updates for your specific address. Couldn't hurt!!

[BLJR]

Those are some great rates and speeds. Hurricane Electric (HE) is in talks to bring a connection to 7725 W Reno (former ATT Lucent plant). This address is the largest fiber cross connect in the state of OK. HE will sell as low as $.25 cents a Meg, but you will have to figure out how to get the connection, as they won't build backbone out of that address. It will be a game changer for large companies in the area though if they do end up connecting there.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Also OEC is ramping up plans for fibre across Oklahoma. I welcome some competition.

[stile99]

Google Fiber, OEC, I don't care who does it, when you fiber up Mustang, consider this post my order.

[Martin]

Also OEC is ramping up plans for fibre across Oklahoma. I welcome some competition.

i received a survery a few months ago regarding this... has oec decided to move forward? once service is rolled out to my area, i won't be able to drop cox fast enough.

[FighttheGoodFight]

i received a survery a few months ago regarding this... has oec decided to move forward? once service is rolled out to my area, i won't be able to drop cox fast enough.

I know they just hired a ton of new people to start expanding operations so I am assuming this is going forward.

[BLJR]

FighttheGoodFight and Pete, didn't have any idea about OEC. Man, I would love to see them scale out and change the game!!! How great would that be.

[djohn]

This is interesting..
https://fiber.googleblog.com/2018/07...nd-fairer.html

One Touch Make Ready - It looks like AT&T, Comcast and others (not sure about Cox) are fighting this hard.

[Pete]

^

This must be part of Google's push to deliver (semi) wireless high-speed Internet service.

[king183]

Google has been fighting the OTMR for the last two years, most notably in Tennessee and Kentucky, where ATT and the incumbent providers fought very hard against the concept. This applies primarily to Google FIber's ability to string fiber along utility poles and then directly to houses. Google Fiber was getting ready to pursue the policy in OKC just before they pulled out of the city. OGE had previously made commitments to allow GF access to the poles, but those discussions died, likely with back door interference from ATT and Cox. If the FCC succeeds in making it a national policy, it would make it more likely GF will return to OKC, though I wouldn't count on it for other reasons.

The wireless service will mostly be effectuated through wireless systems on top of tall buildings beaming the signal to the users. It's a solution that can only really work in high density cities (e.g., Chicago, SF, NYC), so OKC will likely not see this solution. There are other options being explored for neighborhood level wireless solution.

[BLJR]

They lightly touch the OKC metro, but OEC is going to offer residential phone and internet service to its residential and business customers soon. "OEC Fiber" as they call it, are in the process of building out the network now. I think it will be interesting how Cox and ATT react if they start penetrating customers in Norman. Wonder if other electric companies will follow? Residential phone is a dying product, but the internet play could be interesting.

[shawnw]

Looks like just south side though...

[Plutonic Panda]

https://apple.news/AXvqoV6--SwCXSRBhwe0TZQ

[Snowman]

The article calling this a setback seems a bit optimistic about the future of Google Fiber. In 2016 they basically decided to abandon about half the cities they were setting up fiber networks, the dividing line seems to be where significant amount of the construction was already complete and have not added service to a new city in two and a half years.