{"id":90711,"date":"2019-04-21T16:05:56","date_gmt":"2019-04-21T20:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbachnet.wwwmi3-ss40.a2hosted.com\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2021-07-17T15:44:51","modified_gmt":"2021-07-17T19:44:51","slug":"will-5g-save-broadband-over-power-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/will-5g-save-broadband-over-power-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Will 5G Save Broadband Over Power Line?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Will<\/a>5G<\/a> could resurrect broadband over powerline<\/strong><\/a> (BPL). At least that is the hope of AT&T<\/strong><\/a> (T<\/a>). For those who don\u2019t remember the heady rise<\/a> of BPL, it grew out of an attempt to use the existing electrical grid<\/strong> to deliver broadband everywhere without having to build infrastructure<\/strong> anywhere. A few broadband over power line systems with paying customers got off the ground but they were all gone by the end of 2010<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"ATTAT&T started testing<\/a> BPL renamed Project AirGig<\/strong><\/a> in 2016. And now in 2019 FierceWireless<\/a><\/em> is reporting<\/a> AT&T is planning more trials of AirGig<\/a> that will involve 5G<\/strong>. The telecom behemoth is also working with vendors and technology partners to build commercial-grade 5G equipment for those trials.<\/p>\n

Hank Kafka, vice president of access architecture and standards at AT&T, told FierceWireless<\/em> the company isn\u2019t ready to offer details but said Project AirGig is making progress and it will be a very complementary technology to 5G. He told the author that \u201c5G is very high on that list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Specifically, AirGig could be used to extend 5G millimeter wave<\/a> (mmWave)<\/strong> signals beyond their current range. The article says AT&T has launched a mobile 5G service in 19 markets so far using mmWave spectrum<\/a>, but using that spectrum has drawbacks because it has a limited range<\/strong> compared to lower spectrum bands.<\/p>\n

Air\"5G<\/a>Gig technology includes a radio distributed antenna system<\/strong> (RDAS) and mmWave surface wave launcher. The RDAS reconstructs signals for multigigabit<\/strong> mobile and fixed deployments. The mmWave surface wave launchers can power themselves using inductive power devices without an electrical connection. These devices then create a high-speed signal that travels along or near the wire<\/strong>, providing a broadband connection.<\/p>\n

I covered AT&T’s 2018 AirGig trial here<\/a>. In that trial with Georgia Power Company, the telco used LTE as the transport technology.\u00a0 Mr. Kafka explained that in 2018 suitable 5G equipment was not available. \u201cAt the time of the trial 5G equipment was large and bulky,\u201d he said. Now that 5G is commercially deployed in some markets AT&T is working with vendors to get the right type of gear for the new trials.<\/p>\n

Not only could AirGig potentially extend the reach of 5G, but it could also be used as a backhaul technology<\/strong>. \u201cIf you set up an architecture where AirGig is connecting to 5G radios, it is acting like backhaul … And you can get gigabit speeds and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"5G<\/a>He also said that commercialized AirGig would be a good fit for small cells<\/strong> because of the way it is architected. In other words, a wireless signal could travel down the power line and handoff to small cells or be used to backhaul wireless traffic from small cells. This could be profitable for carriers who are getting resistance<\/a> from municipalities<\/a> over the siting of their small cell<\/a>s for 5G. AirGig might allow small cells to be co-located with utility infrastructure.<\/p>\n

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

Apparently, AT&T doesn\u2019t have plans to commercially deploy AirGig in the near term, but it has rolled out 5G service in 19 U.S. cities<\/a> that could benefit from the goals of the BPL AirGig experiment including:<\/em><\/p>\n

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