Plugtek BPL eLibrary :: News Alert: Plugtek Powerline eLibrary Nov 12 2004

From: "Plugtek Powerline Network eLibrary" <freelists@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: plugtek_com@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2004 12:04:27 -0700

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLUGTEK POWERLINE NETWORK eLIBRARY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12.November.2004 http://Plugtek.com http://Broadband-Powerline.com http://PowerlineStore.com

News Alert! Category: Utilities

_______________________

NEW PRODUCTS? Be sure to contact us with your new products. http://plugtek.com/mail.shtml

Sign up a Friend for the ePowerline Newsletter: http://Plugtek.com/FreeNewsletter.shtml

Utilities switch on to broadband over powerlines

Broadband over powerlines is allowing utilities to tap existing infrastructure cheaply, fill market gaps in underserved regions and benefit from plummeting equipment costs.

Critics, though, still point to uncertainties about consumer adoption and the viability of the still-emerging broadband alternative.

One of the earliest adopters of broadband over powerlines is the city of Manassas in Virginia, which has signed a deal with local utility Communication Technologies to extend broadband services across the city's powerlines to 15,000 residential and commercial locations for less than $30 (£16) a month.

Communication Technologies vice-president Walter Adams said since the company had begun installing the equipment in September, it had penetrated 10% of the coverage area. Under the deal, the company pays the capital cost of installation and provides customer care and billing support, while the city provides field technicians to install the equipment and 60 miles of fibre optics for the Ethernet-based backbone.

Revenue is shared between the city and the utility and Adams said he anticipated a return on the $1.5m investment within three to seven years.

But other energy executives were sceptical about the financial returns from investing in broadband over powerlines.

Phil Slack of Florida Power & Light said his company had had to replace 2,000 miles of powerlines and 13,000 poles after four hurricanes hit Florida this summer. "There is broadband powerline equipment that you have to add to poles, and you have to factor that into your thinking," he said.

Slack also said above-ground power equipment exposed to saltwater and humidity along the coast was vulnerable to rusting. "We haven't gone to a full-scale market trial yet," he said. "The technology isn't ready yet for Florida, although it's getting close."

Factors that favour the technology include last month's FCC ruling to allow electric utilities to provide broadband over powerline services so long as they adhere to powerline radiation-emission restrictions and follow consistent and repeatable measurement guidelines.

"The FCC has essentially given us the green light to go forward," said Brett Kilbourne of the United Power Line Council, an alliance of electric utilities and technology companies involved in broadband over powerlines. Before the ruling, there were concerns that transmissions would interfere with ham radio and other shortwave radio communications.

Power companies also hope that broadband investments will allow them to support their own applications such as load forecasting, demand management and the ability to predict and correct electrical equipment failures before they occur.

"It's like having a real-time asset management system," said Tim Frost, director of corporate planning at Consolidated Edison, which is about to launch trials of utility applications using broadband services in Manhattan.

Thomas Hoffman writes for Computerworld

~~~~~~~~

Utilities Switch On Broadband Over Powerlines

Christian Harris digital-lifestyles.info

Broadband over Powerline (BPL) is an emerging technology that may shake up the competitive world of broadband Internet and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. It offers high-speed access to your home through the most unlikely path, a common electrical outlet, allowing you to plug your computer into any electrical outlet in your home and instantly have access to high-speed Internet.

Combining the technological principles of radio, wireless networking and modems, the technology can be used to send data over power lines and into homes at speeds equivalent to DSL and cable. In Singapore, Pacific Internet is one of two ISPs trialling the technology in conjunction with Singapore Power. The Singapore trial is currently sustaining connection speeds of 2.2Mbit/s - faster than Telstra ADSL. Elsewhere in the world, power lines are running at 4.5Mbit/s, and ultimately the technology supports speeds of up to 10Mbit/s. It also allows utilities to tap existing infrastructure cheaply, fill market gaps in underserved regions and benefit from plummeting equipment costs.

For instance, the city of Manassas in Virginia has signed a deal with local utility Communication Technologies to extend broadband services across the city’s powerlines to 15,000 residential and commercial locations for less than $30 (£16) a month. Revenue is then shared between the city and the utility, as long as they adhere to powerline radiation-emission restrictions and follow consistent and repeatable measurement guidelines set out by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

It’s not all been going smoothly for the new technology though. The two test plants near Rochester, NY, both pulled the plug on their setups when the cost analysis came in. There was a major interference issue on BPL also, but the final argument was decided due to the money.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is nearing holiday season.

Visit: http://PowerlineStore.com

~~~~~~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_______________________

Be sure to send us any tips, insider information, updates, and advancements in the Powerline Industry.

To contact Plugtek please go to our mail form page: http://plugtek.com/mail.shtml

Have a great day.

__________________ http://Plugtek.com Powerline Communication Network Technology eLibrary

_______ ______ / \ / | / 110-220 \ / Home |____ | __ __ | ---------- ____| | || || | Powerline Network|____ | || || | ---------- ____| | || || | \ 2004 | | -- -- | \______| \ volts / \_______/

********

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLUGTEK POWERLINE NETWORK eLIBRARY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://Plugtek.com
http://Broadband-Powerline.com

Plugtek BPL eLibrary :: News Alert: Plugtek Powerline eLibrary Nov 12 2004

Other related posts: