Google's hush-hush 100kW transmitter in New Mexico desert: What's going on at SkyBender test site?

An application filed with the FCC reveals Google's request to install a nearly 100kW radio transmitter at Spaceport America, the New Mexico-based hangar where it's running SkyBender, its secretive project using drones to test millimeter-wave radio. The highly-redacted document doesn't reveal much about what Google is doing beyond conducting field tests in the 2.5GHz band, 5.8GHz band and 71-76GHz and 81-86GHz bands. It also confirms that Google is testing millimeter-wave technology at Spaceport. Google is paying about $1,000 a day to test its technology from 15,000 square feet of hangar space at Spaceport that was originally designated to Virgin Galactic's stalled spaceflight program. Also, SkyBender is being run by Google Access, the group responsible for its Gigabit Fiber service in the US. Project SkyBender is employing third-party drones as well as drones made by Google Titan, which have wingspans of up to 50 meters, or 164ft.  Whatever Google is building, the company does not want rivals figuring out its plan....more