I found this in my inbox just now….
AT&T begins testing high-speed internet over power lines
NEW YORK (Reuters) – AT&T Inc has started trials in Georgia state and a non-U.S. location to deliver high-speed internet over power lines, the No. 2 wireless carrier said on Wednesday, marking its latest push to offer faster broadband service to more customers. AT&T aims to eventually deliver speeds faster than the 1 gigabit per second consumers can currently get through fiber internet service using high-frequency airwaves that travel along power lines. Read the full story.
When I first read this, I thought to myself, “Oh, no. Not again.” Then, I thought I better research this more. That’s when I found this story on CNet:
AT&T beaming AirGig broadband from power lines
Unveiled last year, AirGig sends data from one antenna to another along power lines in rural, suburban or urban areas. It also sends data to nearby buildings at speeds of about 1 gigabit per second — something like 15 times faster than the average US broadband data-transfer rate.
Apparently, there are several tests being planned. Here’s a story on a trial in Georgia, and here’s the AT&T press release.
These stories are all short on technical detail, but this looks more like a point-to-point microwave network than that awful BPL technology. Thank God for that.