{"id":81485,"date":"2016-10-07T23:01:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-08T03:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbachnet.wwwmi3-ss40.a2hosted.com\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2022-08-09T12:13:21","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T16:13:21","slug":"att-tries-broadband-over-powerline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/att-tries-broadband-over-powerline\/","title":{"rendered":"AT&T Tries Broadband over Powerline"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AT&TIt\u2019s alive. It\u2019s alive! BPL has risen from dead<\/strong>. Longtime readers of the Bach Seat<\/em><\/a>, know the history of Broadband over Powerline<\/strong>. I covered it many years ago here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and<\/a> here<\/a>. Imagine my surprise when there were a number of articles popping up all over the interwebs touting mega-telecom AT&T’s<\/a> (T<\/a>) try at BPL<\/a> 10 years after everybody else gave up on the technology.<\/p>\n

\"BroadbandComputerWorld<\/em> described<\/a> this latest incarnation of BPL<\/a> from AT&T<\/strong> as a low-cost, high-speed wireless internet technology. This time Broadband over Powerline relies on plastic antennas positioned along medium-voltage power lines<\/strong> and not through the conductive materials inside the power lines. FierceTelecom<\/em><\/a> says<\/a> that AT&T will attach the plastic antennas to the power lines and serve as a mesh network to distribute signals to homes and businesses<\/strong>. The Project AirGig<\/a><\/strong> low-cost plastic antennas and devices will regenerate millimeter wave<\/a> (mmWave<\/strong>) signals. Millimeter-wave technology relies on electromagnetic waves that are longer than x-rays but shorter than radio waves (they are found in the 10 mm to 1 mm range and are also known as extremely high-frequency waves according<\/a> to New Atlas<\/em><\/a>. The EHF waves can be used for 4G LTE<\/a> and 5G<\/a> multi-gigabit mobile and fixed deployments.<\/p>\n

John Donovan, chief strategy officer and group president of AT&T technology and operations, told FierceTelecom<\/em> that Project AirGig delivers last-mile access<\/strong> without any new FTTH<\/a> technology and is flexible enough to be configured with small cells or distributed antenna systems.<\/p>\n

\"Broadband<\/a>To test the technology, AT&T is looking for a place somewhere in the next year with a favorable regulatory environment<\/strong>, since the carrier would need to partner with an existing electric utility<\/strong>. John Donovan, chief strategy officer for AT&T said the trial could be in an area where existing broadband is expensive, even in the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n

The AirGig project relies on over 100 patents<\/a>, according to an AT&T statement. There is no direct electrical connection to the power lines, although network components could receive their needed power through inductive wireless electricity<\/a><\/strong> from the near by power lines, AT&T Chief Technology Officer Andre Fuetsch explained to Computerworld<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"ATT<\/a>AT&T said the testing will decide what frequency AirGig will use for commercial deployment, which could occur sometime around 2020<\/strong>\u00a0after the carrier rolls out 5G wireless. The frequency AT&T uses will affect the range of the signal and the speed, as well as whether it is over a licensed or unlicensed band. This decision is important if AT&T plans to use BPL as another<\/a> weapon<\/a> in its fight with Google Fiber<\/a>. Earlier versions of Broadband over Powerline were incapable of delivering the Google<\/a> (GOOG<\/a>) promised Gigabit of Internet access.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a transformative technology that delivers low-cost and multi-gigabit speeds using power lines,\u201d AT&T’s Donovan said, \u201cThere\u2019s no need for enhancements for new towers, and it\u2019s over existing infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/a>AirGig has already been tested in outdoor locations on-campus settings<\/strong>. \u201cWe\u2019ve had it up and running 4k video and cameras on campuses for quite some time,\u201d Mr. Donovan said.<\/p>\n

Besides using the AirGig technology as an alternative broadband service delivery option, for urban, rural, and under-served markets AT&T wants to convince the electrical utility industry<\/strong> to apply AirGig technology to their unique needs. ComputerWorld<\/em> says utility companies would be able to use the technology to help spot problems on their power lines from something like a downed tree or cracks in the cable sheath.<\/p>\n

rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

New Atlas<\/a> points out<\/a> that earlier this year, a millimeter-wave technology system set a new world record<\/a> for wireless data transmission by sending data at 6 Gbps. The technology is also showing up in other applications, including heart-rate monitors<\/a>, car-safety systems, and luggage scanners<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

AirGig could be profitable for AT&T. If they can make a deal with an electrical company, they can avoid expensive make ready. Which Google Fiber is struggling mightily with<\/a>. By using power lines, AirGig avoids the cost of digging trenches to lay fiber optic cable.<\/em><\/p>\n

Still, questions remain about how this version of Broadband over Powerline will do in the real world. <\/em><\/p>\n