AT&T Inc. (T) to Test Broadband Over Electrical Power Lines

Advertisement

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is testing a new broadband internet solution with the help of power lines.

AT&T, Power Lines, T Stock
Source: AT&T

AT&T is working on an effort called Project AirGig. This project is designed to equip power lines with small plastic antennas. These antennas would then be able to provide internet to any house or wireless device near their location.

The company claims that it could use this technology to bring “low-cost, multi-gigabit wireless internet speeds,” to people living in ” urban, rural and underserved parts of the world.” The project doesn’t require any extra towers or cables to work. It also doesn’t directly connect to the power lines.

AT&T has already been testing Project AirGig at its own outdoor facilities, but it wants to go further. It is now planning to field test the service in 2017. The plastic antennas used in the project can regenerate millimeter wave signals that are used by 4G LTE and 5G networks.

AT&T also argues that these devices could benefit utility companies. This is due to the small antennas’ ability to detect possible line integrity issues. The devices can narrow the problem down to the segment and utility companies could take care of the issue before it becomes a problem for customers.

Project AirGig is already supported by more than 100 AT&T patents. The plastic antennas that are part of the project are cheap to make and could allow for the expansion of smart-grid applications with minimal costs.

You can check out a video about AT&T’s Project AirGig below.

T Stock was up slightly as of Noon Wednesday.

More From InvestorPlace


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2016/09/att-power-lines-t-stock/.

©2024 InvestorPlace Media, LLC