AT&T to Test Broadband Over Power Lines
September 20 2016 - 7:13PM
Dow Jones News
By Ryan Knutson
AT&T Inc. said Tuesday it had discovered a way to deliver
high-speed broadband over electrical power lines, a technology it
claims would make it cheaper and easier to bring the internet to
hard to reach places.
The technology, which AT&T calls AirGig, works by placing a
special antenna atop a power pole and blasting a wireless signal
that hugs the outside of the power line. The wireless signal then
radiates from the power line and provides web connections at
gigabit speeds, it said.
People in proximity of the power line could get service inside
homes, said John Donovan, AT&T's chief strategy officer. When
certain wireless frequencies are used, people could even get a
signal when farther away from the power line, Mr. Donovan said.
AT&T says it has filed patents for the technology and is
looking for a place to conduct field trials next year. If that goes
well, it would still be several years before the technology is
commercially available.
For decades, tinkerers have tried to send internet signals
inside the power lines themselves, but the technology hasn't panned
out well.
The advantage of piggybacking off existing power lines is that
such wires have already been built around the world, including into
places where traditional broadband or wireless signals have yet to
reach. It could also serve as an inexpensive way to deliver
high-speed internet in cities or suburban areas, because it can be
installed without having to string new wires and dig up streets,
Mr. Donovan said.
Write to Ryan Knutson at ryan.knutson@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 20, 2016 18:58 ET (22:58 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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