T AT&T Inc

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)

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