Google Plans To Test Mysterious Radio Transmitters In New Mexico Desert, Details Redacted By FCC
Technology giant Google has applied for a license from the Federal Communications Commission to test some experimental radio transmitters at the Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert. The highly-redacted plans were discovered on the FCC website, which shows that Google intends to test several different frequency bands from the remote desert location.
The Daily Mail reports that Google is hoping to test some experimental radio transmitters at Spaceport America. The tech company applied for a license from the FCC for the project, and limited details were updated to the FCC website. Although much of the license application was redacted before being placed on the website, it has been speculated that with the details provided, Google is likely using the transmitters as part of “a secret network of airborne and terrestrial transmitters the technology giant has been working on.”
The new license request is just one of a series of licenses that Google has applied for regarding tests at Spaceport America. In combination with other license requests, it has been suggested that Google is set to test “a secretive aircraft for transmitting large amounts of data over wireless networks.” The series of technology testing licenses all point to the idea that Google is hoping to utilize new technology, including the use of long-range radio transmitters, to offer those in remote parts of the world internet access.
Last year, Google made it known to the public about plans to create a $1 billion network of satellites to bring the internet to remote areas of the world that currently do not have access to the internet. The Wall Street Journal reported that Google has already hired staff to get the new program off the ground, which was slated to involved over 180 small satellites that would orbit the earth at lower-than-normal altitudes. These satellites would be used to beam internet service to remote areas and areas that currently receive low-grade internet connections.
The satellites aren’t the only technology options that Google has been exploring. It is reported that the tech giant is also looking into balloons and drones to deliver the internet service. In fact, it seems that based on the specific licenses from the FCC that Google has been trying to secure, the company plans to utilize a multi-level approach to beaming internet access to remote regions of the world. Satellites, drones, and balloons may work together to make Google’s fully connected world a reality.
.@google is building a mysterious radio transmitter in the desert of New Mexicohttps://t.co/3pHFkWkYzP pic.twitter.com/wI6ryIWx4p
— Times of India (@timesofindia) March 4, 2016
The latest project seems to be Google’s attempt to take one step further in their quest for global internet access. However, the company has not confirmed that the latest license filing is part of the global internet goal, and few details are known about the secretive radio transmitter project as the company claims it needs to remain secret for commercial purpose which they define as “a secret commercially valuable plan.”
However, that hasn’t kept many from speculating about the uses of the new radio transmitters.
“Google was wanting to test radio technology that involves aircraft 25,000 feet in the air. This could be linked to the secretive Google X project codenamed SkyBender, which aims to use giant solar powered drones to deliver high speed internet around the world.”
What do you think about Google’s latest FCC filing for a license to test new radio transmitters? Do you think Google will use the latest technology for their quest to provide the internet to the entire world?
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