Google Fiber to buy Webpass for big city Internet service

Google Fiber said Wednesday it would acquire wireless service provider Webpass in a deal that could increase its ultra-high speed Internet service in major cities, particularly in apartment buildings.

Webpass will help Google Fiber expand in cities such as San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, Chicago and Boston, Webpass said in a blog post, which Google Fiber tweeted.

San Francisco-based Webpass says it has tens of thousands of customers and a foothold in over 600 buildings across the country, including both residential and business buildings. It advertises residential Internet connections from 100 Mbps to 1 Gig.

The 13-year-old company uses point-to-point wireless technology, which will help Google Fiber expand its reach in wireless fiber technology.

Google Fiber provides service mainly through laying a fiber infrastructure to homes. It's in six metro areas now, with plans for several more.

At Google parent Alphabet's annual meeting earlier this month, executive chairman Eric Schmidt said the company is focusing on new, cheaper wireless technology to beam high-speed Internet into people's homes.

"There appears to be a wireless solutions that are point to point that are inexpensive now because of the improvements in semiconductors," he said at the meeting. "These point to point solutions are now cheaper than digging up your garden and so forth."

The wireless technology, different from the wireless technology that Webpass uses, is being experimented with in Kansas City, he said at the time.

It claims it delivers online content at one gigabit per second, up to 100 times faster than existing Internet services, at prices at or below slower Internet service. Google Fiber is currently in Provo, Utah; Nashville; Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Mo.; Austin and Atlanta.

The Webpass and Google Fiber partnership will allow the two companies to expand deeper into the fiber point to point wireless world.

"Google Fiber and Webpass share a commitment to creating fast, abundant Internet connectivity in the U.S," said Webpass President Charles Barr on the company's blog. "By joining forces, we can accelerate the deployment of superfast Internet connections for customers across the U.S."