US telco AT&T is set to offer Internet speeds greater than one gigabit per second. AT&T said the new system, still in development and called Project AirGig, comes after 10 years of research and 100 patent applications for new technologies.Americans still have Wi-Fi speeds in the tens of megabits, mere fractions of Google Fibre or AirGig. Google Fibre, the fastest commercially available Wi-Fi system in the US, provides speeds of up to one gigabit per second and is only offered in a few urban areas of the USA.
Using a network of antennas and devices, AirGig would transmit a millimetre wave signal along power lines. Users would then get multi-gigabit Wi-Fi in their homes. Apart from allowing for super-fast home Wi-Fi, AirGig would also represent the beginnings of a 5G cellular data network. Limited trials will take place next year.