Project AirGig Goes Down to Georgia

The devil said: "Son, I'm the fastest download in the land," and when he proved it to us, well, we let him join the band.*

Yessiree, AT&T says it is now taking its AirGig powerline technology down to rural Georgia for technology tests with the regional power company that promise to deliver over 1 Gbit/s via existing power lines.

The "Project AirGig" technology wirelessly rides alongside medium-voltage power lines and uses newly designed "low-cost" plastic antennas to deliver the service. AT&T says that -- like high-band 5G -- it uses millimeter waves to deliver gigabit speeds. (See AT&T Claims 'Breakthrough' With New Power Line Delivery Tech for 4G, 5G.)

AT&T already has another trial underway with an unnamed electrical provider in an undisclosed location outside the US. (See AT&T Looks to Trials for AirGig.)

"Project AirGig is part of our ongoing effort to accelerate Internet connections to a gig or more through both wired and wireless solutions,” said Andre Fuetsch, president of AT&T Labs and CTO, said in a press release. "But it also stands alone as a radically innovative solution to bridge the global digital divide. If these trials and our continued research and development turn out the way we intend, we'll take a big step toward bringing hyper-fast connectivity to people everywhere."

AT&T isn't talking about a commercial timeline for AirGig yet. Ma Bell, however, is looking to undertake more trials, in hopes that this project becomes a way to deliver broadband to consumers without building expensive new towers and other infrastructure.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

*With apologies to Charlie Daniels and Camper Van Beethoven.

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