AT&T rolls out new wireless technology to improve SF coverage

The power amplifier for a small cell is seen on a light pole on Wednesday, February 2, 2017 in San Francisco, Calif. The power amplifier for a small cell is seen on a light pole on Wednesday, February 2, 2017 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close AT&T rolls out new wireless technology to improve SF coverage 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

San Francisco has become the proving grounds for AT&T’s leap into the newest frontier of wireless technology, and customers may soon enjoy clearer calls and faster apps as a result.

The company on Wednesday unveiled its first operational small-cell wireless antenna in the nation, discreetly perched atop a lamppost on Battery Street in the Financial District.

AT&T plans to install about 1,000 such cells across the Bay Area this year in an effort to meet the ever-increasing demand for mobile broadband while simultaneously laying the groundwork for future technology, the company said.

“Smart-city applications, driverless cars, artificial intelligence — all of these will need strong connectivity, low latency and high data speeds,” said Sinan Akkaya, the director of radio access network engineering at AT&T. “So that’s why we’re using small cells.”

The technology is designed to provide densely populated areas with better cell phone connections by concentrating signals across a smaller geographical area. The small cells also help lessen the reliance on cell phone towers, which are often located far from urban centers. As Bay Area residents know all too well, the strength of signals sent from traditional towers can diminish as they travel long distances and pass through buildings or across hilly terrain.

AT&T is looking to solve that problem by activating the network of small cells across the city. The cells will be centrally controlled, meaning the company can make adjustments to quickly respond to fluctuations in demand. Other wireless companies are also experimenting with the technology.

Akkaya said AT&T plans to install 280 more cells this year in San Francisco alone, enough to boost service for about 1 million customers. Two more small-cell antennas are scheduled to be activated this week in San Francisco, one along the Embarcadero and one in the Mission District.

The cells, which house antennas in slim cylinders connected to power amplifiers, will be attached to lamp posts and telephone poles around the city.

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AT&T will install hundreds more small cells this year across the Bay Area — in San Jose, Palo Alto, Concord and Walnut Creek.

It will activate small cells in Los Angeles and New York City this year as well, but Akkaya said the company benefited from San Francisco’s reputation as a hub for innovation in being able to move more quickly.

“We had the advantage of more focus because we’re in the technology capital of the world, so we were able to move a little, and the city has been great to work with. They helped us get our cells out there faster,” he said.

AT&T unveiled its small-cell project Wednesday alongside other technology the company is working on, including what it calls the AirGig, a device used to transmit high-speed wireless Internet over electrical power lines.

The device is still in the research and development stage, the company said, but it’s intended to provide Internet services for rural communities.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa