Expect hundreds of megabits per second, maybe even a gigabit, even in sparsely populated areas -- as long as homes are near power lines.
AT&T hopes its AirGig technology for piggybacking high-speed data links on power lines will arrive in 2021, potentially improving broadband in areas where it's not economical to lay fiber-optic cables.
AirGig doesn't connect directly to houses. Instead, it sends data hopping along from power pole to power pole so it can traverse relatively long distances. For that final communication link to a house, AT&T will use more conventional wireless equipment like 5G mobile networks.