Surface wave communication system and methods for use therewith

A method comprising:

• bidirectionally communicating, via a surface wave transceiver coupled to a medium voltage power line, wireless network data via guided electromagnetic waves that propagate along a surface of the medium voltage power line;
• wirelessly transmitting, via a plurality of access points supported by corresponding ones of a plurality of utility poles that also support the medium voltage power line, the wireless network data to a plurality of client devices in accordance with a wireless network protocol;
• wirelessly receiving, via the plurality of access points supported by corresponding ones of the plurality of utility poles that also support the medium voltage power line, client data from the plurality of client devices in accordance with the wireless network protocol;
• receiving, via a plurality of surface wave add/drop multiplexer pairs coupled to the medium voltage power line, the guided electromagnetic waves that propagate along the surface of the medium voltage power line;
• digitally regenerating, via the plurality of surface wave add/drop multiplexer pairs coupled to the medium voltage power line, the wireless network data;
• dropping, via the plurality of surface wave add/drop multiplexer pairs coupled to the medium voltage power line, the wireless network data to the plurality of access points;
• receiving, via the plurality of surface wave add/drop multiplexer pairs coupled to the medium voltage power line, the client data from the plurality of access points;
• adding, via the plurality of surface wave add/drop multiplexer pairs coupled to the medium voltage power line, the client data to the wireless network data;
• and
• relaunching, via the plurality of surface wave add/drop multiplexer pairs coupled to the medium voltage power line, the guided electromagnetic waves with the wireless network data.

A communication network comprising:

• a surface wave transceiver, coupled to a medium voltage power line, configured to bidirectionally communicate wireless network data via guided electromagnetic waves that propagate along a surface of the medium voltage power line;
• an access point, supported by a utility pole that also supports the medium voltage power line, configured to wirelessly transmit the wireless network data in accordance with a wireless network protocol to a plurality of client devices and to wirelessly receive client data from the plurality of client devices in accordance with the wireless network protocol;
• and
• a surface wave add/drop multiplexer pair, coupled to the medium voltage power line, wherein the surface wave add/drop multiplexer pair is configured to receive the guided electromagnetic waves that propagate along the surface of the medium voltage power line, to digitally regenerate the wireless network data, to drop the wireless network data to the access point, to receive the client data from the access point, to add the client data to the wireless network data, and to relaunch the guided electromagnetic waves with the wireless network data.