First trials of project AirGig scheduled for the fall of 2017

AT&T is in advanced discussions with power companies and others to trial Project AirGig in at least two locations by this fall. One location will be in the United States with others to be determined in the coming months.

“We are looking forward to begin testing the possibilities of AT&T Labs’ invention for customers and utility companies,” said Andre Fuetsch, president of AT&T Labs and chief technology officer. “AT&T is focused on delivering a gigabit-per-second speed everywhere we can with our wired and wireless technologies.

Project AirGig represents a key invention in our 5G Evolution approach. AT&T Labs is ‘writing the textbook’ for a new technology approach that has the potential to deliver benefits to utility companies and bring this multi-gigabit, low-cost internet connectivity anywhere there are power lines – big urban market, small rural town, globally.”

These antennas and devices along power lines effectively deliver broadband and mobile traffic. No need to build new towers. No need to bury new cables in the ground.

Future field trials will demonstrate how Project AirGig works to support power companies’ smart grid technologies, such as meter, appliance and usage control systems and early detection of powerline integrity issues.

The trials will also evaluate the technology during inclement weather, such as rain, snow and high winds. Importantly, we can more precisely determine the cost of deployment while maintaining the highest signal quality for a customer.