Webpass, the wireless broadband company acquired by Google Fiber in 2016, will soon launch a gigabit service in Seattle, starting with a downtown condo unit.
Webpass will launch at Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue, a 40-story building at the city’s Pike Place Market, according to local reports, including one from The Seattle Times. Webpass will reportedly start with a 1-Gbps symmetrical service that sells for $60 per month.
Update: In an announcement, Webpass said the data service will be marketed without contract requirements or data caps, noting that it will use point-to-point wireless radios that work in conjunction with the building’s existing Ethernet network.
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In Seattle, Webpass will compete with incumbents such as Comcast and CenturyLink. Comcast recently launched a 1-Gig (downstream) service in Seattle that uses DOCSIS 3.1 for its HFC network, and also offers Gigabit Pro, a pricier symmetrical 2-Gbps service that uses fiber-to-the-premises technology.
RELATED: Comcast Lights Up DOCSIS 3.1 in More Markets
The coming launch in Seattle follows the February debut of Webpass service in Denver. Webpass also offers service in parts of Boston; Miami; Chicago; and San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley, Calif.
RELATED: Google Fiber’s Webpass Debuts in Denver
Google Fiber has been emphasizing the use of lower-cost wireless-based broadband deployments as it concentrates on existing FTTP deployment markets and after it paused a plan to expand into more cities.
RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, recently announced Gregory McCray as CEO of its Access division, which includes Google Fiber.
Charles Barr, CEO and founder of Webpass, told Fortune, “We operate very autonomously and very independently” from Google Fiber.
