Talks of broadband over power-lines (BPL) have been around for years. But started showing encouraging results only recently. The most recent development reported was about Energy Australia, a power-line company based in Newcastle, that managed to test successfully broadband data transfer at the speed of 200Mbps on household power lines. It is about 100 times the current speeds of Internet being used on broadband networks. An Energy Australia spokesperson confirmed the success of the trial, but cautioned that it will still be a long way before anything would be commercialized.

The test, which went on for almost three months in several large apartments and commercial buildings in a city block in Newcastle East, had been BPL-enabled with the 200Mbps equipment, with ISP services provided by Ipera. The ISP provider runs a fiber-optic ring in Newcastle, while Energy Australia uses this network and takes over with BPL where those fiber cables end in substations around the city.

Here in India, a local company recently tied-up with Powerline Communication (PCL) of New Zealand to create data network on power-lines. PCL, which has successfully installed power-line communication set-ups in Germany, USA, Australia and New Zealand, now aims to do the same in Chandigarh. PCL has already got international intellectual property rights for the technology. They have also applied for patenting the technology in the country.

SIMPLE YET POWERFUL
The BPL system uses existing electric power-lines connected to homes and businesses to deliver high-speed data through an ordinary wall socket. No special wiring is required. Customers plug a modem into any electric outlet and access the Internet. Because power-lines reach virtually everywhere in the country, BPL could bring Internet and high-speed broadband access to rural areas, which often are difficult to serve due to the high costs associated with upgrading existing infrastructure and interconnecting communication nodes with new technologies. In addition, BPL could also play an important role in providing additional competition in offering broadband infrastructure to consumers.

PL systems may operate either inside a building (In-House BPL) or over utility poles and medium voltage electric power lines (Access BPL). As In-House BPL systems can use the electrical outlets available in every room of a building to transfer information between computers and other home electronic devices, they eliminate the need to install new wires between these devices. Using this technology, consumers can readily implement communications local area networking and similar technologies.

Access BPL systems can be used to provide high speed internet access and other broadband services to homes as well as providing electric utility companies with a means to more effectively manage their electric power distribution operations. Given that Access BPL can be made available in conjunction with the delivery of electric power, it may provide an effective means for 'last-mile' delivery of broadband services. It may also offer a competitive alternative to digital subscriber line (DSL), cable modem services and other high-speed Internet technologies.

OPPORTUNITIES
Despite the high growth of broadband technology in the last few years, there are many parts of the world that do not have access to high-speed Internet. The cost involved to build the necessary infrastructure in providing Internet to rural areas is huge. But if broadband could be served through power-lines, there would be no need to build a new infrastructure. Electricity is there everywhere.

By slightly modifying the current power grids with specialized equipment, the BPL developers could partner with power companies and Internet service providers to bring broadband to everyone with access to electricity.

According to some research estimates, BPL market is expected to peak at $2.5 billion by 2010. Business models in providing BPL can vary, ranging from a passive lease by utilities of the infrastructure to the development of a local telecommunications operation or an Internet Service Provider (ISP) business by utilities. There will be numerous possibilities for joint venturing by utilities with technology and telecommunications providers.

For the technology and telecommunications sectors, BPL presents a new opportunity for partnering with electric utilities to provide critical technology, business expertise and assets that the utilities traditionally have lacked.

CHALLENGES IMPOSED
The biggest challenge for proponents of the technology is the opposition from users of the same spectrum. They fear interference from BPL in their radio signals.

In both Access and In-House high-speed BPL technologies, multiple carriers spread signals over a broad range of frequencies that are used by other services. In the spectrum below 30 MHz, incumbent authorized operations include fixed, land mobile, aeronautical mobile, maritime mobile, radiolocation, broadcast radio, amateur radio terrestrial and satellite, and radio astronomy. In the spectrum from 30 to 300 MHz, incumbent authorized operations include fixed land mobile, aeronautical mobile, maritime mobile and mobile satellite, radio astronomy, amateur radio terrestrial and satellite, broadcasts TV and radio. This spectrum is also used for public safety and law enforcement, and government aeronautical radio navigation, radio navigation satellite and radio location. Each of these authorized services in the spectrum can get harmful interference. The close proximity of Access BPL equipment on utility poles may affect the operation of cable television service and high-speed digital transmission service, such as DSL.

Several groups, including the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), have expressed concerns over the unlicensed BPL equipment interfering with their licensed radio signals. However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - Washington, recently voted to move forward with a process to measure interference caused by BPL service. The FCC notice of proposed rulemaking will attempt to measure radio frequency emissions from BPL equipment. FCC is confident that the interference problems can be resolved.

NEED FOR STANDARDS
Several consortiums have been organized to promote Access BPL and its applications; however, the operating characteristics of Access BPL are not standardized yet. There are several operational standards for In-House power line applications.

The HomePlug Alliance released its HomePlug 1.0 standard based on Intellon and Cogency chip sets in 2001. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has a working group on power line standards. There are also other individual companies designing and marketing their own PLC chip sets for sale to PLC device vendors.

We're not there yet. But, with all these consortiums and forums, will soon get to see the BPL system standardized. Is India prepared to take advantage of opportunities that lie ahead? If we need to create a successful BPL business case strategy or if we plan to consider the broad implications of BPL to electric utility, we should not overlook this essential planning resource.

NELSON JOHNY

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