AT&T says the idea of bringing high-speed internet to any location that receives electricity isn't a pipe dream.

The Dallas-based telecom giant announced Monday that it's taking the next step toward "commercial deployment" by starting discussions with technology suppliers about building equipment for what's been dubbed Project AirGig.

Next year, AT&T hopes to expand equipment field trials with "a goal of eventually making gigabit-speed internet as widespread as electricity." There is no firm date on when the technology could be deployed more widely.

"We're confident that we're on the cusp of a technology that could potentially help to solve the digital divide in this country," said Andre Fuetsch, president of AT&T Labs and chief technology officer. Nearly one-third of the U.S. doesn't have access to high-speed internet.

Researchers at the company's lab discovered two years ago that low-cost plastic antennas placed along the nation's existing electric and telephone poles could be used to deliver it. Since then, AT&T has applied for more than 500 patents for AirGig and ran field trials both in and outside the U.S.

Last year, it tested AirGig technology with Georgia Power in a rural area of Georgia.

"These initial results are encouraging ... and showed us how this technology can potentially be deployed in suburban and rural neighborhoods on a commercial scale," the company's announcement said.

Georgia Power also sees potential gains from the project.

"The potential ability to also use this technology to supplement our own energy operations and controls, such as with remote weather monitoring systems, is exciting," said Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers.