[UntirtaNet] INTERNET VIA POWER LINES

INTERNET VIA POWER LINES 
Powerline Technologies ditches phone lines for electrical network.
By David Lawlor
February 21, 2001-It's the age-old battle of Alexander Graham 
Bell versus Thomas Edison--using new-age technology.

The Internet is streamed out to millions of homes using telephone 
lines. And up to now, in the Internet Age, Bell has edged out 
his inventive counterpart.

Bell one, Edison zero.
But Powerline Technologies, a subsidiary of PowerTrust and M@xxxxxx 
Communications Ltd., has just completed successful U.S. field 
tests of new technology that transmits broadband services over 
the existing power grid infrastructure to homes and businesses, 
the company says. 
Chalk one up for Edison. 
Powerline Technologies completed its trials over power lines 
utilizing both overhead and underground power lines, says Sean 
Collins, vice president of Powerline Technologies. The trials 
showed the technology could transmit broadband communications 
over the low and medium voltage power lines--like those found 
in residential neighborhoods. The Internet data would enter the 
home or office through a box plugged in to an electrical outlet. 
The box has an Ethernet port that can then be connected to the 
computer.
Using the power lines instead of phone lines would allow customers 
to bypass such services as DSL or other high-speed Internet access. 
This means that people living and working in areas where DSL 
service is not available could still receive high-speed access. 
The new method is faster than both DSL and cable modems, Collins 
says.
The technology has already been adopted in Europe where a commercial 
service is available in Germany and soon to be available in Spain, 
France, and Italy. The next step in courting the U.S. market, 
Collins says, is to offer select users service for a trial period. 
Then, Powerline Technologies must contract with each local electricity 
service provider to gain access to the power lines in any given 
area. 
The idea of sending Internet data using the existing power grid 
has been around for a few years, says Linda Byus, a utility analyst 
for Dresden Kleinwort Wasserstein. She says while the concept 
is sound, the technology to make power grids a viable alternative 
has yet to fully develop. 
"It sounds like a great idea," she says. "It would optimize the 
[power] lines already in place and eliminate the need to build 
extra lines, which should save on costs." 
Sidebar: As of June 2000, 70 percent of U.S. zip codes reported 
the presents of high-speed Internet service subscribers, compared 
to 59 percent at the end of 1999


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