Skip to main content

Qualcomm joins Facebook’s Terragraph Project to bring fast Wi-Fi to U.S. cities

Facebook and Qualcomm are teaming up to bring fast Wi-Fi to cities across the United States. For at least two years, the social media giant has been attempting to create a “multi-node wireless system focused on bringing high-speed internet connectivity to dense urban areas.” It’s called the Terragraph Project, and it was first debuted at the social network’s 2016 annual developer conference.

The goal is to send data through routers more efficiently, resulting in faster Wi-Fi. And now, Qualcomm chipsets will be integrated with this technology, which should allow manufacturers to upgrade routers in order to send data at a frequency of 60GHz.

According to a Qualcomm spokesperson, the Terragraph Project could be a boon to both rural and urban neighborhoods that suffer from Wi-Fi dead zones. The technology is contingent upon the 802.11ay WLAN standard, which promises transmission rates of up to 40Gbps over 300 to 500 meter ranges. But with a little bit of finagling from Qualcomm and Facebook, this standard has been further improved with enormous antenna arrays, channel bonding, time-synchronized nodes, and TDMA protocols, Engadget reports. This should help signals bypass obstacles (like huge skyscrapers), as well as reach more users and reduce costs.

Trials for the new network are slated to begin in the middle of 2019, though it’s not entirely clear where the test cities will be. Previously, Facebook suggested that Terragraph would be tested in San Jose. Given that Terragraph is meant to help areas where laying fiber or other internet sources is particularly expensive, there are a number of cities and towns that could certainly benefit from this technology.

This isn’t Facebook’s first foray into internet. The company already offers Free Basics, a free internet service that has come under fire previously for offering a very abbreviated and carefully curated version of the web (which, of course, includes Facebook). Unfortunately, fake news has found its way onto the site, and Facebook recently removed the service from Myanmar and other areas where it has presented a misinformation problem to users.

Hopefully, Terragraph will provide a better alternative to existing solutions, and if all goes well, we could soon be seeing this fast new network in the next year.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Best long-range Wi-Fi routers for 2022
Netgear's Orbi 5G broadcasts your mobile broadband connection over Wi-Fi 6.

While there are many routers capable of delivering fast speeds and the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology, some homes or small offices are simply too large to cover. In general, a whole-home mesh networking solution will be able to blanket larger spaces with a reliable, speedy Wi-Fi signal, but for those who don't want to install satellite receivers and nodes, having a robust Wi-Fi router will also do the trick. These are some of the best long-range Wi-Fi and mesh Wi-Fi systems that can cover homes in varying sizes from 5,000 to even 8,000 square feet.
Best long-range Wi-Fi routers

Netgear Nighthawk RAX200
Netgear Orbi 5G Wi-Fi 6 Mesh System NBK752
Linksys Velop MX12600
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000
TP-Link Archer AX6000
Eero 6
Asus RT-AX88U
Google Nest Wi-Fi

Read more
Netgear’s $1,500 Orbi mesh Wi-Fi 6E router promises double the speed
Netgear's Orbi RBKE963 is a terrific Wi-Fi 6E mesh network.

Netgear's latest Orbi is a mesh Wi-Fi 6E network that claims to deliver some impressive-sounding speeds. This Wi-Fi 6E mesh router comes with a quad-band design and a new 6GHz band -- you just need a home or office broadband plan that can deliver the speeds to take advantage of the Orbi's features.

That promises speeds double what is achievable on the conventional 5GHz band found on most routers and whole-home mesh systems today. This means that the Orbi can reach a theoretical speed of 10.8Gbps.

Read more
What is Wi-Fi 6?
Linksys WRT3200 ACM router review

If your current Wi-Fi connection isn’t strong enough to support your growing number of devices, you might be on the lookout for a better solution. Perhaps you’re experiencing frequent connection errors, slowdowns, and other technical difficulties. Wi-Fi 6 can offer a faster, more reliable connection.

We’ll talk more about this next-generation standard in Wi-Fi technology, tell you what it has to offer, and give you tips on determining what devices are compatible with Wi-Fi 6.
The dawn of generational Wi-Fi labels
The Wi-Fi Alliance is the organization in charge of deciding, developing, and designating Wi-Fi standards. As devices become more complex and internet connections evolve, the process of delivering wireless connections also changes. That means that Wi-Fi standards -- the technical specifications that manufacturers use to create Wi-Fi -- need to be periodically updated so that new technology can flourish and everything can remain compatible. So far, so good.

Read more