Facebook’s new gigabit Wi-Fi system is coming to San Jose

Facebook is building a new way to connect to the internet, employing millimeter-wave technology to connect buildings to the larger internet without fiber optic cable. Today at the F8 developers conference, Facebook detailed its new Terragraph system, calling it a “multi-node wireless system focused on bringing high-speed internet connectivity to dense urban areas.”

Terragraph is notably similar to Starry, a new wireless system developed by Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia, which launched in January. Both Starry and Terragraph transmit data in the millimeter wave spectrum, and employ a phased array of antennae to maintain a narrowly beamed signal. But while Starry touted proprietary antenna technology for increased range and signal strength, Terragraph is based on the open WiGig standard, which has been publicly available since 2010. The open standard means third-party hardware can more easily be built with Terragraph-friendly antennae, including phones, cars, and home Wi-Fi routers.

Millimeter waves are much more rapid than the waves in a conventional Wi-Fi signal, allowing data to be sent more than 10 times faster. Facebook testing has already shown total throughput speeds as high as 2.1 Gbps for a single distribution node, a number Facebook engineers expect to rise as testing continues. Millimeter wave signals are also more easily absorbed by oxygen and water, and cannot travel through walls or windows. As a result, the current Terragraph system transmits data entirely outdoors, between distribution nodes on telephone poles and Ethernet or Wi-Fi hubs mounted on buildings’ exteriors.

Unlike previous Connectivity Lab projects, Terragraph is designed to supplement existing networks, adding more connectivity in already connected areas. “Slow internet speed is especially prevalent in developing economies where mobile networks are often unable to achieve data rates better than 2G,” the company explained in a blog post. “Developed economies are hampered by Wi-Fi and LTE infrastructure that is unable to keep up with the exponential consumption of photos and video at higher and higher resolutions.”

Facebook’s Connectivity Lab also announced a new program called ARIES, a single-base station with 96 different directional antennas. By processing subtle differences in what each antenna picks up, Facebook engineers were able to eliminate noise and support as many as 24 different devices on the same band of spectrum. When complete, Facebook hopes ARIES will allow for unprecedented amounts of data transmitted over a given spectrum band.

1:50PM ET: Updated with Jay Parikh’s onstage comments.