Report: 2005 Could Be Breakthrough Year for 'Broadband Over Powerline' Serving U.S. Consumers, Businesses
BPL Offers 'Third Wire' If Technical, Economic Challenges Overcome;
Emerging Tech Already Here: BPL Deployed Commercially
on City-Wide Basis in D.C. Suburb
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadband over powerline (BPL)
technology may be "primed for real growth in 2005 and beyond" across the
United States, according to a new white paper released today by the New
Millennium Research Council (NMRC). Trials and actual commercial deployments
of BPL systems are on the rise, with over 20 projects in operation in 2004 and
more expected to come online in 2005. By one estimate, roughly a quarter
million homes in the United States already had the opportunity to choose BPL
services in 2004.
Entitled "Powering the Broadband Market in 2005 and Beyond," the NMRC
white paper asks: "Is 2005 the year of BPL? There are a number of signs that
suggest this could be the time the technology begins its emergence as a viable
competitor in the broadband market ... Today, electric utilities across the
country are deploying the necessary technology to provide broadband and other
advanced communications services, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP),
via the power lines that connect to virtually every home and business. Many
industry watchers and representatives now believe BPL can dramatically change
the landscape of the broadband market, offering new forms of competition and
delivering high-quality service to remote areas. During the past two years,
the commercial and media perspectives on BPL in the United States have evolved
from categorizing the technology as 'almost ready' to 'really here.'"
Though still in its early stages in the U.S., BPL technology already is
available in such places as sections of New York City (Ambient) and -- in what
is the first city-wide commercial BPL network in the United States -- in the
suburban Washington, D.C. community of Manassas, Virginia (Communication
Technologies, Inc., or COMTek). Both of the firms are profiled in the report,
which was released at a phone-based news conference today that included a
statement by COMTek President and CEO Joseph E. Fergus.
COMTek's Fergus said: "The industry is finally moving beyond the
theoretical stage to the real thing: actual commercial deployments of BPL that
are being pioneered today by companies like COMTek. BPL isn't the answer for
every community and, in some cases, the technology is likely to be blended
with other broadband platforms in order to provide the widest possible
coverage. But the bottom line is unmistakable: BPL is finally here in a real
way that will touch the lives of millions of additional U.S. consumers and
businesses in 2005 and beyond."
Another NMRC news conference participant, Robert Olsen, professor of
electrical engineering at Washington State University, said: "It is possible
to deploy BPL networks that will offer data rates comparable to those of DSL
or cable model systems. It is doubtful, however, that data rates
significantly higher than this will be possible without a very significant
investment in 'conditioning' the power system. While numerical limits on
electromagnetic emissions set by the FCC can be met, it will depend upon
exactly how the FCC defines harmful interference."
Also speaking at the NMRC media briefing was Harris Interactive Vice
President & Senior Consultant Barry Goodstadt, who said: "There are
challenges that remain for BPL, including mitigating interference and
constructing viable business models to attract more customers and create more
revenue. Experts feel that while the technology might be ready, electric
utility companies and their partners still need to find ways to effectively
compete in the broadband market. Regulators and policymakers are working to
create clear rules for BPL and this could help utilities develop business
plans that work."
The full text of the NMRC report is available online at
thenmrc.org.
HOW BPL WORKS
Broadband over power line (BPL) is the transmission of high-speed
communications services, including Internet access, over the existing electric
infrastructure using adaptive technologies. The wires that carry electricity,
either on poles above ground or through tunnels underground, possess the
capacity to also serve as a conduit for data signals. These power lines are
known as medium voltage, carrying between 1,000 and 32,000 volts of
electricity and travel the distances between power substations and the
customer's household or building. The power lines that connect to a household
or other building from the utility pole are known as low voltage, transmitting
120/240/480 volts.
By bundling radio-frequency (RF) energy on the same line with the electric
current that is already carried, data can be transmitted without the need for
a separate line. Since the electric current, which is used to provide power
to the end users, and RF energy signals carrying the data operate at different
frequencies (with electric current traveling at lower frequencies and data at
higher levels), the two don't interfere with each other.
Technological advances in the past several years have enabled electric
companies to place devices along existing wires and poles to provide broadband
services. Known as Access BPL, the systems require a connection from the
Internet backbone at a power substation, repeaters (in some cases) and
couplers along the medium voltage power lines that transmit the data signals,
and then a final converter that transfers the signal from the medium voltage
to the low voltage lines that go into homes. Once inside the home, the signal
can be accessed at any electrical outlet with a BPL modem.
ABOUT THE NMRC
The New Millennium Research Council is composed of a network of policy
experts who develop workable, real-world solutions to the issues and
challenges confronting policymakers. Its work has focused primarily in the
fields of telecommunications and technology. For more information, please
visit: thenmrc.org.
SOURCE New Millennium Research Council, Washington, DC
Web Site: thenmrc.org
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