Building out a new fiberoptic network in a congested metropolitan area can be slow-going, which is why when Google announced in February that it was bringing Google Fiber to San Francisco, it planned to do so on the back of existing “dark fiber” lines controlled by the city. In an apparent effort to expand that model to privately-operated networks, Google has acquired a small, high-speed broadband provider already operating in San Francisco.

SF-headquartered Webpass has been around for more than a decade in the area, primarily offering high-speed broadband to business customers. It recently began deploying fiberoptic service in select parts of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego.

Then yesterday the company announced that it had been acquired by Google Fiber for an undisclosed sum of money.

“By joining forces, we can accelerate the deployment of superfast Internet connections for customers across the U.S.,” reads a statement from Webpass, which says it will focus on the rapidly growing point-to-point wireless industry.

In addition to speeding up Google Fiber deployment in the Bay Area, the Webpass acquisition could allow Google to plant its Fiber flag, however small, in Webpass’s other markets, including Boston, Chicago, and Miami.

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