Google Fiber and Google Webpass have never been offered together in the same market until now.
And what that means for Austin residents and businesses is wider availability of Google’s super-fast Internet service. Google’s broadband Internet is 100 times faster than most broadband services.
Google announced last week that it is providing Webpass, super-fast wireless Internet service in Austin. It already has Google Fiber, a high-speed Internet service, available in some part of Austin and in San Antonio.
Google Fiber acquired Webpass in 2016, which provides wireless Internet service with speeds up to 1 gig in densely populated areas. Webpass was founded in San Francisco in 2003 by Charles Barr. Webpass is available in a handful of U.S. cities primarily on the West Coast including San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley and Seattle. It is also available in Denver, Chicago, and Miami.
This is Google Fiber’s first deployment of Webpass in Texas.
The Webpass service works using “a combination of rooftop radios and fiber optic cables,” and is able to beam internet through the sky as fast as fiber, according to its website.
“A receiver on the top of your building picks up the internet signal from a building with a direct fiber connection and brings it right into your home through your building’s existing wiring,” according to Webpass. “This technology is not only cost-efficient but also more reliable and makes installation quick and easy. All of this allows us to bring better internet to more people at a fairer price.”
The Webpass service costs $70 per month, according to Google’s website. “You can find out if service is available in your building and sign up on the Google Fiber website.”
“We’re starting downtown and are adding new buildings to our network as quickly as possible,” according to a Google blog post. “To help us bring Google Fiber Webpass gig service to your apartment or condo building, check out webpass.net/austin .”
Google announced in 2013 plans to begin offering Google Fiber in Austin and in December of 2014, the company began offering service to parts of Austin. And in 2015, Google announced plans to bring Google Fiber to San Antonio.
