philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Google Files to Transmit on Home-Turf Airwaves

Google is seeking an experimental license to operate radio frequency gear in the airwaves of its Bay Area headquarters. The search giant filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for a two-year license to run experimental equipment on 2 GHz frequencies in Mountain View at a 3.2 mile radius.
[Philip Lelyveld comment: is this, coupled with their St Louis experiment, part of a larger plan to create a walled garden fully integrated service?]
Google is seeking an experimental license to operate radio frequency gear in the airwaves of its Bay Area headquarters. The search giant filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for a two-year license to run experimental equipment on 2 GHz frequencies in Mountain View at a 3.2 mile radius.

Google’s game plan isn’t specified in the filing, but bloggers for both The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal surmise that the company is creating its own wireless network. However, the Mountain View filing is for a “new or modified radio station,” where previous filings specified experimental Wi-Fi operations.

Another of Google’s experimental licenses covers 2 GHz frequencies in Cambridge, Mass., New York, Mountain View and Los Angeles, where the company is testing next-generation Wi-Fi devices. The company was originally granted Special Temporary Authority to test the devices on Jan. 26, 2012, and has since received an extension for operations through Jan. 31, 2013.

See the full story here: http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0086/google-files-to-transmit-on-home-turf-airwaves/217418