CAIRO, EGYPT: a trial of BROADBAND OVER POWER LINE

Trimax Corporation Signs Letter of Intent With Wavecomgroup, Egypt and Submits Tender to Egyptian Ministry of Communications & Information Technology

TORONTO -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 02/28/2006 -- Trimax Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, PLC Network Solutions Inc. (PLC) (OTC BB: TMXO), a leading provider of Broadband over Powerline (BPL) communication technologies, announced today that it has signed a Letter of Intent to establish a Joint Venture partnership with Wavecomgroup of Cairo. The two companies recently submitted a tender to deploy a Broadband over Powerline technology pilot in the Egyptian Ministry of Communications & Information Technology offices in Cairo.

"The Ministry buildings will be an excellent showcase for our BPL technology and Wavecomgroup a valuable strategic partner," said Derek Pepler, President, Trimax/PLC. "Egypt is a regional hub connecting the Mediterranean, Europe, Asia and the Arab World. It is quickly becoming the centre for telecom and IT in the Middle East and North Africa. The Egyptian government has been totally committed toward the liberalization of all telecom sectors and to improve the quality and variety of services, strengthen the market-driven economy and keep up with the demands of globalization to transition it into an information-based society that best meets the needs of its 70 million citizens."

Dr. Tarek Kamel, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, recently announced with Jean-Philippe Courtois, President of Microsoft International, the launch of a new low-cost and easy-to-use personal computer. The Windows XP Arabic version Starter Edition is developed especially for Arab users by a group of the corporation's experts abroad and with the help of a development team based in the company's innovation center located in the Smart Village in Egypt. Industry experts expect the low-cost PC Initiative will be as successful as the government's "PC 4EveryHome" program which provided more than 250,000 PCs for low-income Egyptian families. Launching these low-cost, easy-to-use computers is a big step towards raising the penetration rate of PCs and internet users, developing Egyptian society and bridging the digital divide.

Vendors power up VoIP over BROADBAND ON POWER LINES !!!

Vendors power up VoIP over powerlines

Ilevo and Netbricks team up to pipe converged services over powerlines

William Eazel, vnunet.com 26 Feb 2006

Broadband over powerline equipment provider Ilevo and software developer Netbricks today announced a partnership to provide enhanced VoIP for broadband over powerline communications products based on DS2 chipsets.

The companies have already worked together creating VoIP products for the Broadband Power Line (BPL) access platform that are fully compliant with the VoIP SIP standard.

Eric Morel, CEO of Ilevo, said: "We are always extremely positive about the creation of this type of ecosystem in the PLC world. It has helped us to build a SIP-based VoIP solution in record time.”

Earlier this week, the Open PLC European Research Alliance announced the approval of what it claims is the first open global specification for Powerline Communications (PLC) access, and said that technology from Spanish chipmaker DS2 has also been selected as the baseline for the specification.

The Alliance claims that the specification will accelerate mass rollout of high-speed, low-cost, broadband access, voice and audiovisual services, as well as utility applications for control and management operations.

The specification has the support of the Universal Powerline Association, a group that includes a number of broadband over power line equipment suppliers. The Open PLC European Research Alliance is backed by the EU.




new BROADBAND over POWERLINES 200 Mbps BPL Technology

Rural Americans are getting in the fast lane to the Internet more and more

CNN.com users share their experiences of how technology is changing our lives !!!

Ambient Corp. 10-KSB ANNUAL REPORT: company shows BPL progress and status

Ambient Reflects on Progress of 2005 and Opportunities in 2006
$725,000 in Revenue Recorded in First Quarter of 2006

...more ...

PILOTS, DEPLOYMENTS, AND OTHER COLLABORATIVE ARRANGEMENTS

We are is currently conducting field trials and pilot demonstrations that are evaluating the components and technologies that compose our BPL Solutions. Since 2002 we have had a Research and Development Agreement with Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. ("Con Edison"), a leading utility service provider and our principle collaborative partner. Under this agreement we have sole rights to any jointly developed BPL technology, and we are jointly operating several BPL pilot, trial, and demonstration networks on Con Edison's electric distribution system. EarthLink, Inc.("EarthLink"), a leading ISP, has agreed to participate in and support our trials with Con Edison. We are also conducting limited field trials and joint cooperative efforts with several other electric utilities. In addition we are working with leading BPL technology companies, such as Design of Systems on Silicon ("DS2")and Toyo Network Systems("TNS"), to further develop, deploy, and commercialize our BPL technology.

o A UTILITY APPLICATIONS BPL PILOT NETWORK IN PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK. In early 2004, we installed a BPL network that spans approximately one and one half miles at Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., a Con Edison subsidiary headquartered in Pearl River, New York. This network is used to demonstrate substation monitoring to an energy control center facility and can be used for other potential core utility applications.

o AN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS BPL PILOT NETWORK IN MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY. In 2004, we installed a BPL network in Con Edison's First Avenue steam tunnel in Manhattan in New York City. Con Edison uses the network to monitor environmental conditions and the state of the steam main and to provide telephony service in the tunnel using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. This single BPL network provides a variety of services that would have otherwise required multiple technologies and wiring systems.

o A CONSUMER ORIENTED AND UTILITY APPLICATION BPL PILOT DEMONSTRATION NETWORK IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK. In 2002, Ambient and Con Edison deployed a BPL network in the Village of Briarcliff Manor, New York, a suburb located north of New York City. This network spans a distance of approximately one mile and has achieved speed from 10 to 16 Mbps over the medium voltage lines and 3.5 to 7 Mbps delivered to consumers. The initial pilot now passes over 700 residences, and currently provides consumer broadband Internet access to pilot participants and allows for video monitoring of a local intersection.

o PILOT PHASE OF AN ADVANCED GRID MANAGEMENT TRIAL. Since 2004, Ambient and Con Edison have been conducting phased development trials of utility service and management applications, and have successfully completed a small field trial phase. On January 27, 2006, Con Edison and Ambient entered into an agreement with NYSERDA (the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) (the "NYSERDA Agreement") pursuant to which they undertook to conduct medium and low voltage electric systems monitoring activities to detect incipient or impending failures and related activities, for which Con Edison was awarded a $200,000 grant from NYSERDA. The NYSERDA Agreement necessitated an amendment to the Research and Development Agreement to modify the implementation plan contained therein to encompass the objectives of the NYSERDA Agreement. In the amendment, Con Edison and Ambient certified the completion of the Small Field Trial Phase, agreed that the $325,000 advance owing from Ambient to Con Edison was subsumed into the revenue royalty granted to Con Edison in the Research and Development Agreement, and agreed to move forward to an Advanced Grid Management Pilot Phase that encompassed the statement of work contained in the NYSERDA Agreement. Additionally, in the amendment, Con Edison committed to remit to Ambient not less than $180,000 of the grant monies received from NYSERDA to compensate Ambient for its equipment and other costs to be incurred in performing the Advanced Grid Management Pilot Phase. NYSERDA is a public benefit corporation created by the New York State Legislature to administer the State's energy program.

The $325,000 advance will be recorded as revenue by Ambient during the first quarter of 2006.

o A CONSUMER ORIENTED MULTIPLE DWELLING UNIT BPL NETWORK IN MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY. In March 2005, we installed and activated a pilot Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) BPL network in a 16 floor, 213 unit condominium building located on Manhattan's upper west side. This network initially offered consumer high-speed Internet service. In October 2005 we deployed EarthLink's next generation Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, trueVoice(TM). Video surveillance, intercom services, cached video-on-demand capability, and remote load management and control applications are currently in development.

o BPL NETWORK PILOT WITH SAN DIEGO GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY. In July 2005, we undertook a pilot demonstration with San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) to install a BPL-network on the SDG&E grid. This pilot will allow SDG&E to evaluate several consumer and utility based applications including BPL-enabled meter reading, and demonstrate how our solution may help to fulfill the California Advanced Metering Initiative (AMI). SDG&E has also licensed our new Network Management System (NMS) to monitor and manage the BPL network. This pilot was showcased at the United Power Line Council (UPLC) conference in February 2006.

o BPL NETWORK PILOT IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. After successful completion of a proof of concept phase, in January 2006 we entered into a pilot demonstration agreement with a large investor-owned utility in the southeastern United States.

The pilot, which will service approximately 700 homes, is being designed to encompass a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for high-speed transmission and reception of data and voice services via electric power lines for both broadband carrier and core utility applications/services. Included in the pilot is a demonstration of the Company's ability to simultaneously support utility applications as well as provide an infrastructure for the utility to offer its electricity customers a choice of multiple ISPs over the same power lines. The network will be monitored and managed by the Company Network Management System, a proprietary software management system. The pilot is expected to continue for approximately 8 weeks, at the conclusion of which the parties will separately evaluate the results of the pilot and the feasibility of commencing an initial commercial build out and deployment of the Company BPL Solutions to approximately 10,000 homes on the utility's electrical power distribution system (the "Phase 1 Deployment").

The pilot demonstration agreement contemplates that the Company will enter into negotiations with the utility regarding an agreement respecting the Phase 1 Deployment with the goal of completing this agreement on or about the time of the expected completion of the pilot. No assurance can be given, however, that the company will in fact agree with the utility on the feasibility of proceeding to Phase I Deployment or consummate an agreement respecting Phase I Deployment on mutually acceptable terms.

In January and February of 2006, revenue from the pilot program amounted to approximately $400,000.

No assurance can be given that we will agree with the utility on the feasibility of proceeding to Phase I Deployment or consummate an agreement respecting Phase I Deployment on mutually acceptable terms.

o LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH DESIGN OF SYSTEMS ON SILICON. In 2001, we entered into an initial licensing agreement with Design of Systems on Silicon S.A. (DS2), the world leader in the development of BPL chipset products, to incorporate DS2's chipsets and software into our BPL

Solution. In January 2004, we entered into a new agreement that strengthens and builds upon this relationship. We are now working with DS2 to further develop its technology and are integrating DS2's next-generation 200 Mbps chipsets, which feature 10 to 40 times faster performance than other broadband technologies, integrated support for Quality and Class of Service (QoS and CoS) for latency-sensitive and bandwidth-intensive services such as delivery of multiple streams of video content (HDTV and SDTV), and support for new interoperability standards.

o ALLIANCE AND DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH TOYO NETWORK SYSTEMS CO., LTD.:
In February 2005, we entered into an alliance and distribution agreement with Toyo Network Systems ("TNS") of Japan formerly known as Toyo Communication Equipment Co. Ltd. TNS is a subsidiary of NEC. This agreement is intended to lead to our collaboration with TNS in the commercialization of our respective BPL technologies. TNS has been a licensee of DS2 technologies since 2002, and its equipment and technologies have been deployed in large-scale BPL pilots in Spain and Portugal.

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Welcome to Ambient

Earthlink looking for Alternatives to dial-up

EarthLink Evolves

The southern dial-up darling has big plans to help catch fleeing subscribers.

February 20, 2006 Print Issue

EarthLink CEO Gary Betty’s southern-boy charm falters slightly when the conversation turns to his company’s fading tradition as a network sharecropper. “It’s a tough go,” he sighs, an edge creeping into his voice. For the first time, he sounds more like the harried executive charged with redefining a company than the easygoing Atlanta native and hometown hero.


EarthLink, once known for its booming business of selling dial-up Internet service over phone companies’ networks in the 1990s, has been forced to remake itself as consumers switch to high-speed broadband offered directly by telcos and cable companies.


Even worse, shifting regulations now allow cable and phone companies to block EarthLink from running services over their networks. The current challenge is to convince fleeing dial-up subscribers to hang in and use the company’s new high-speed services, while remaking a brand etched in that shrill whine of dial-up fame—the same problem former dial-up behemoth America Online faced.

Undaunted, Mr. Betty has devised an aggressive and unusual plan for remaking his company. The next-generation EarthLink aims to finish building a controversial citywide Wi-Fi network in Philadelphia by year’s end. It’s also planning to launch an early-adopter wireless service with South Korea’s SK Telecom, the country’s largest cellular company, in the spring and has already started selling VoIP services.


EarthLink has even trialed broadband over power lines. “If someone came to EarthLink with a string and two tin cans and said they could provide broadband, we’ve probably looked at it,” jokes Mr. Betty.




see
EARTHLINK BPL website

Future of the Internet highway debated

Future of the Internet Highway Debated


By PETER SVENSSON AP Technology Writer

The Associated Press

NEW YORK On the Internet, the traffic cops are blind _ they don't look at the data they're directing, and they don't give preferential treatment.

That's something operators of the Internet highway, the major U.S. phone companies, want to change by effectively adding a toll lane: They want to be able to give priority treatment to those who pay to get through faster.

Naturally, consumer advocates and the Web companies that would be paying the toll are calling it highway robbery.

"Allowing broadband carriers to control what people see and do online would fundamentally undermine the principles that have made the Internet such a success," Vinton Cerf told a Senate committee recently. Cerf, who played a key role in building the Internet, is now the "Chief Internet Evangelist" at Google Inc.

more...

Arkansas: Internet access via power lines a possibility

Internet access via power lines a possibility
Friday, Feb 24, 2006

By Aaron Sadler
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - Electric lines may some day add new lanes to the information superhighway and, when widely used, enhance Arkansas' economy, legislators learned Thursday.

Officials with Entergy Arkansas and the Arkansas electric cooperatives said they are researching new technology that transmits high-speed Internet data across power lines.

High-speed Internet, called broadband, is a key cog in economic development, said John Ahlen, president of the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.

Expanding broadband to all areas of the state benefits Arkansas economically, Ahlen told the Joint Committee on Advanced Communications and Information Technology.

"For rural places to compete in a world economy, the infrastructure they need is broadband connectivity," Ahlen said.

Though broadband over power lines seems like a logical way to reach rural areas, electric company officials consider it experimental technology.

They said transmitting broadband over electrical lines has worked well in densely-populated areas of foreign countries. However, it may be too costly to install rural areas, said Paul Means of Entergy and Doug White of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives.

"At least in theory, it's a very good idea," Means said.

Implementing a broadband network over power lines would require placement of "repeaters" along the line every 3,000 feet to strengthen the data signal. Means said utility companies would have to purchase "jumpers" for transformers in order to descramble the signals.

Equipment costs are a major obstacle, the utility company officials said.

Both Means and White said the companies plan to use the technology internally to monitor systems and perhaps remotely read electric meters.

According to Federal Communications Commission statistics, broadband is accessible in 85 percent of the state, though broadband providers think the figure is lower.

Eddie Drilling, president of AT&T Arkansas, said between 20 and 25 percent of Arkansas households have no access to broadband.

But Drilling said broadband access is available to most businesses and industries, and his company has a "fairly robust network" of fiber-optic lines, he said.

"If Hino Motors comes to Marion, Ark., and says 'We want to build a plant and we want fiber (optic lines) to it,' we can do that," Drilling said.

One location where residents are receiving the same fiber-optic access as business and industry is Lavaca, in Sebastian County.

There, telephone provider Pinnacle Communications launched a $5 million project last year to connect every customer with a fiber-optic line.

Pinnacle Vice President Dean Gibson said the rural company with 1,750 subscribers hopes to offer video, Internet and telephone service all from the same line.

Gibson said his company would be the first in the state to offer "fiber to the home" connections to all its customers.

Other phone companies are exploring that option. Some already are replacing main lines made of copper with fiber-optic cable.

"We just felt like, to get the real benefits from fiber, we were going to have to go not only to the curbside, but directly to the customer himself," Gibson said in a telephone interview after Thursday's meeting. "I think it's a step that every phone company is going to have to take in the future."

Ahlen told legislators that broadband technology is one part of an overall economic strategy needed to improve the state.

Drilling said residents already know some benefit from broadband service, with the advent of the Arkansas Interactive Video Network.

Schools and universities use the network for video conferences. It is available at 469 sites across the state and 5,000 conferences or classes are held each month over the network.

Also Thursday, legislators learned 11 school districts sought federal grant money at the urging of the committee.

Last month, the committee was told 49 districts failed to apply for money from the federal e-Rate program, which helps pay for new telephone and computer connections.

The program is funded by a fee attached to telephone bills.

Becky Rains of the state Department of Information Systems said the districts participated in the program "due to the focus (legislators) provided" last month.

Districts that did not apply lost an estimated total of $215,588, she said.

new BROADBAND over POWERLINES 200 Mbps BPL Technology

DUKE ENERGY BPL: Power Lines with Big Brains

Read related BPLTODAY.COM article:
DUKE pushes ahead with new AMBIENT/DS2 G2 200 mbps BPL/PLC gear

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With Powerline Communication technology, power lines move a lot more than electricity.
What would you say if we told you that your power lines talked to each other to find problems, read your meter for you and served up a fat internet signal along with electricity?

Impossible? Not really.

The latest Powerline Communication (PLC) technology is being evaluated by Duke Power, and it opens up the electrical grid to a world of possibilities.

A digital signal travels over your power lines
At the heart of PLC is a digital signal that travels with the electricity on medium and low voltage power lines. Special equipment is added to the power line network to manage the signal to work in multiple ways.



Powerline Communication makes a smarter, safer electrical grid
Blackouts. We all hate them. We’d like to make them a thing of the past. With PLC, we get one step closer. An electrical grid that has been modernized with PLC equipment can “sense” where power outages have occurred and can precisely point crews to trouble spots. That saves us time, and you the headache of having no electricity.



Transformers have eyes and ears
Security of the power grid is a high priority for us. The communication signal on the lines allows us to place cameras and other monitoring equipment on the electrical grid. All the data is piped into a central location, reducing the time and resources needed to monitor the grid. This frees up manpower to do more important things, like making sure your power keeps flowing.



Thieves foiled
Nobody likes an energy thief. He makes electricity cost more for everyone. With PLC on the grid, we can find meters that have been tampered with and shut them down much more easily than ever before.

So what’s in it for me?
Good question. In addition to more reliable electricity, PLC can also deliver high-speed internet access to homes and businesses, put you in charge of when you want to be billed for power, and set the framework for running more efficient homes and businesses.

Let’s talk about the Internet
Always “on” access. Fast downloads. Networked video gaming. Digital telephone. Digital video recording. These are all things we love about our high-speed internet access today. These are also things you can get with a great PLC feature called Broadband Powerline (BPL). Faster upload speeds than current broadband services and the broadband connection is delivered through your existing electrical outlets.



With a BPL modem connected to your computer, your electrical connection is all you’ll need to manage your blog, browse your favorite Web sites and download podcasts.

The future is even more interesting. As BPL matures, you’ll start to see “smart” appliances that use the digital signal to “talk” to each other as well as software that can run your house for you. You can make your house more energy efficient by telling lights, thermostats and appliances to use less power when you’re not home and power back up before you come back.

Pay your electric bill when it works for you
That’s right. You tell the power company when you want to pay your monthly bill. No longer will your billing cycle be dependent on a meter reader driving or walking by on that certain day of the month. You tell us what day works for you, and we can read your meter remotely. Done deal.

Big customers benefit too
If you are an industrial or large commercial consumer of electricity, PLC can benefit you, too. Enhanced safety, security and lighting programs allow you to program when, where, and how you would like to monitor your business.




Power usage monitoring and management of major systems like heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), major appliances and machinery puts the control in your hands to keep costs down and productivity levels up.

So when can I get mine?


Duke Power, Duke Energy’s electric utility in the Carolinas, is currently evaluating PLC technology. Passing our tests for quality control will not be a walk in the park. We want to ensure that what we roll out is of the highest quality and reliability for our customers, and we will take the time to get it right. So stay tuned. There will be more to report in the near future.

Philippines: Cable TV via Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) Access

Saturday, November 12, 2005
Firm offers cable TV connection via power lines
By Joel E. Capundan

ROXAS CITY -- For the first time in the country and probably in Asia, the Capiz Electric Company (Capelco) would provide cable TV, telephone, and Internet connection through its power lines to far-flung barangays in Capiz.

This was bared by Retired General Pedro G. Dumol, chairman of Nextream Broadband Philippines Inc., and a native of Pontevedra, Capiz.

The new communication and information technology would soon be available after Capelco inks its joint venture with Nextream, a foreign firm that provides new technology called Broadband Power Lines or PBL.

The launching of this product was held on November 7 at the La Hacienda Hotel here.

Dumol said that two officials of Nextream are from Capiz and Iloilo. They are Ty Javillana, Chief Executive Officer, a native of Iloilo and Ronald Fesallon, chief technical officer from Romblon whose wife is from Cogon, Panay.

Provision

According to Fesallon the venture would provide broadband Internet, voice, and video services via power lines where radio energy passes through power lines.

These would be distributed into homes through a devise in the plugs a normal wall outlet and typically provides an Ethernet connection to a computer or home network.

more...
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new BROADBAND over POWERLINES in Bataan, Philippines


Infotech power. Gen. (ret) Pedro Dumol, board chairman of Nextream, tries one of the new computers his company donated to the Bataan High School in a bid to empower the countryside with the help of information technology. Witnessing the historic moment are Nextream executives (from right) Ty Javellana, chief executive officer; Ronald Fesalbon, chief technical officer and, Gary Cedeno, chief finance officer. Arman Clemente

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Broadband project may trigger rise of Bataan
January 30, 2006

The rise of Bataan as a “fully wired-city” loomed strong following the launching yesterday of the Peninsula Broadband, a joint venture between the Peninsula Electric Cooperative (Penelco) and the Nextream Broadband Philippines, featuring “broadband over power lines” (BPL) system. The project will connect ordinary folk in the barangays with a wide-range of education, connectivity and information through the use of Internet, telephone, on-demand cable TV right in their homes. This was announced in a joint statement by Penelco general manager Loreto Marcelino, Gen. (ret.) Pedro Dumol as Nextream chairman and Ty Javellana, Nextream chief executive officer.


Infotech power. Gen. (ret) Pedro Dumol, board chairman of Nextream, tries one of the new computers his company donated to the Bataan High School in a bid to empower the countryside with the help of information technology. Witnessing the historic moment are Nextream executives (from right) Ty Javellana, chief executive officer; Ronald Fesalbon, chief technical officer and, Gary Cedeno, chief finance officer. Arman Clemente
The launching event also marked the graduation of 28 individuals who went through a three-week training to become “BPL” specialists. The Nextream officials likewise led yesterday’s donation of 10 sets of computers with flat screen monitors to the Balanga National High School with Penelco providing free Internet access to 5,637 high school students.

“We were surprised and we never expected that our school will be provided with a high-tech computer system putting the world in the fingertips of our students at no cost to the school and the parents. The provision of flat screen monitors, which are found to be low in radiation, also reflect the total concern of Nextream for the health and safety of our students,” said school principal Dr. Simeona Emata.

It was learned that the Balanga National High School is the first beneficiary public school among the 12 towns and 237 barangays in the whole Bataan province that will be provided by Nextream with 10 computer sets per town and one computer set in every barangay. Dumol, considered as the father of rural electrification after having served as National Electrification Administrator (NEA) from 1970 to 1986, expressed optimism over Nextream’s ‘viable and affordable system’ that will give information technology access even to the remotest rural areas.

During his stint as NEA chief, he was largely credited for energizing 90 percent of the barangays backed up by the formation of 120 electric cooperatives nationwide. This tie-up with the electric coops will address the great digital divide in our society, Dumol said.

For his part, Javellana, a Filipino-American businessman, said he envisions an empowered Filipinos in the countryside through affordable and effective information technology system. “Thirty years ago, there were no personal computers and there was no Internet. Addressing this great divide is one of Nextream’s goals since it has BPL which is the right vehicle in providing the imbalance and bridge the gap in the digital divide,” Javellana said in his speech at the Balanga High School. He added that with the new computers the high school students will be more productive and creative, “wired to the world,” more empowered and informed, as well as connected to the Internet that is four times faster in speed compared to the present system in the market. Javellana said it is vital that we give our educators the best tools available so that they are empowered to develop Filipinos who are well-educated. “For these next generation of Filipinos, opportunities will not just be limited by their location but by their educational level.”

But Ronald Fesalbon, Nextream chief technical officer, offered a philosophical but realistic assessment saying: In the Philippines, there are two ways to get out of poverty. Win the lotto and the other is to get yourself a good education.”

Nextream officials who were present at the donation and graduation rites include: Gary Cedeno, chief finance officer; Harold Hui, advisor; corporate counsel Rico Sogocio and Penelco administrator Loreto Marcelino.

Nextream has set its sights on tapping over 40,000 barangays connected to power lines, since electricity networks basically form the most ubiquitous utility in the Philippines.

With a 6 percent growth rate in subscription per annum, using these power lines to extend immediate access to the Internet and to become a competitive communication infrastructure in the country definitely offers an affordable alternative within the reach of everyone, without extra infrastructure costs.

For his part, engineer Loreto Marcelino said Penelco is honored to be the premier and pilot partner of Nextream in this noble venture aimed at empowering the people in the rural areas.

“We always pride ourselves in any pioneering venture or achievement. Penelco is the first in the whole country which registered 100 percent electrification in 1997. We are glad to be part of this new project that will lead to Balanga being known as the ‘wired city’ in the Philippines,” Marcelino said.

Penelco, which has a training center, hosted a three-week training for 28 individuals coming from Cebu, Pangasinan and Bataan to become “BPL” specialists.

To date, Nextream has formal tie-ups with Cebu Electric Cooperatives, Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative, Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative and Cagayan Electric Cooperative — all with combined 670,000 consumers.

The province is famous worldwide by the April 9, 1942 Fall of Bataan, a national holiday, commemorating the surrender of Filipino and American soldiers led by US General Wainwright to the Japanese forces.

“With the entry of Penelco Broadband that is expected to create a new wave not only in Bataan but in the whole country, we expect the province’s new rise as the ‘high-tech’ peninsula in the Philippines,” said Marcelino.

UPLC: CALIFORNIA REMOVES REGULATORY BARRIERS TO BPL

The California Public Utilities Commission has issued an “Opinion Implementing Policy on Broadband over Power Lines” which, among other things, gives California utilities the option of providing BPL through an unregulated affiliate, and generally exempts BPL transactions from requiring prior approval by the PUC. The decision is remarkable for its regulatory restraint and progressive policymaking, recognizing repeatedly that overregulation could discourage the deployment of BPL in California altogether. The PUC was open to the possibility that a regulated utility could offer BPL itself, although it would require approval from the PUC. The PUC clarified that it would apply rules for telecom, rather than energy affiliates, in reviewing BPL transactions. Meanwhile, the PUC established policies that protect ratepayers and align shareholder risks and rewards by requiring shareholders to pay for the deployment and by limiting ratepayers’ investment only to R&D or operational costs associated with utility applications.

To provide incentives for shareholders to deploy BPL, the PUC authorized negotiated access fees and established two different revenue sharing arrangements with ratepayers. While the PUC decided to require utilities to provide nondiscriminatory access to poles and rights-of-way; it did not require mandatory access. As for rates for BPL attachments, the PUC approved a cost-based methodology proposed by SDG&E. The main issue before the PUC was an exemption from review and approval of BPL transactions; and not only did the PUC grant the exemption, it also refused to impose additional conditions on BPL transactions, such as environmental review, and it refused to require PUC approval of BPL contracts. For more information on the California BPL Opinion, contact the UPLC Legal/Regulatory Department.

UPLC news update: FCC: CHAIRMAN MARTIN TOURS BPL SITE IN TEXAS

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

FCC: CHAIRMAN MARTIN TOURS BPL SITE IN TEXAS

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and the rest of the FCC Commissioners visited a BPL site near Dallas, Texas where Current Technologies and TXU have announced they will roll out BPL commercially to two million homes. The demonstration by Current Technologies and TXU included voice, video, enhanced utility applications as well as broadband Internet. Chairman Martin and the other Commissioners were in Texas for a FCC meeting that focused on the state of video competition, and requested the tour of the BPL deployment in Dallas while in the area. Not surprisingly, the Commissioners questioned Current Technologies about its plans to offer video in its commercial deployment. They also tested applications such as VoIP and also asked the utility about its plans to use BPL to improve international operations.

FCC: UPLC/UTILITIES SUPPORT CLASSIFYING BPL
AS INFORMATION SERVICE; OTHERS OPPOSE

The UPLC filed extensive comments the week of February 13, 2006 in support of its Petition for Declaratory Ruling that BPL is an information service, free from common carrier regulation. The UPLC reiterated that BPL is functionally similar to cable modem and DSL services that have been classified already as information services. It also explained that the public interest would be served, as it would promote competition and access in the broadband market and encourage innovation and investment in deployment and development. Comments in support also were filed by utilities and their affiliates, including Cinergy Broadband, Duke, First Communications, Progress Energy and San Diego Gas & Electric. These comments generally supported classifying BPL as an information service, and agreed that it would promote the public interest in broadband access and competition, as well as in electric service reliability. Other comments in support of the UPLC petition were filed by TIA and Panasonic, although Panasonic asked that the FCC address the issue of coexistence between access and in-premises BPL. Meanwhile, there were comments in opposition filed by Comptel, the Florida Cable and Telecommunications Association, NextG Networks, the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association and Virtual Hipster. These comments raised issues that are generally irrelevant to the petition or are intended to delay BPL competition. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the New Jersey Division of Ratepayer Advocate filed comments that suggest that the Commission defer action pending the resolution of other proceedings or until BPL technology is more mature. Reply comments are due February 27, 2006 and members are encouraged to file. For more information, contact the UPLC Legal/Regulatory Department.

Will HomePlug AV be DOA?

Will HomePlug AV be DOA?

Tim Higgins
22 Feb 2006 20:50

Westlake Village (CA) - HomePlug-compatible 200Mbps powerline networking may be just around the corner, but one major consumer networking company isn't waiting. Netgear today announced that will soon be shipping "200 Mbps" powerline networking products using chipsets from Madrid-based DS2.

The products are slated to start shipping "in the second quarter of 2006" and are intended to support "high-quality, high-definition video and other bandwidth-hungry applications without interruption," according to Netgear chief executive officer Patrick Lo. DS2's chipsets use proprietary technology that does not interoperate with products based on the HomePlug 1.0 standard or Intellon's proprietary HomePlug " Turbo" enhancement.

This announcement can't come as good news for the embattled HomePlug Alliance, which has been beseiged by competing powerline technologies. This January's Consumer Electronics show featured product demonstrations and announcements not only by DS2, but also by Panasonic, which introduced its own, proprietary, high-speed powerline product.

HomePlug AV technology, which also has a 200 Mbps (raw) data rate and is targeted as the same HD video and multimedia streaming applications as DS2's technology, appears to be perpetually six to nine months away. Intellon demonstrated HomePlug AV reference designs using its INT6000 chipset at CES and said it will be shipping samples starting in this quarter. But ship dates for actual HomePlug AV-compliant product remain unannounced.

Netgear probably can't be blamed for moving ahead with introducing a powerline networking product that is incompatible with its existing HomePlug 1.0 and 85Mbps Homeplug products since the train is leaving the station for getting spec'd in by IPTV service providers. If other major manufacturers also jump on the DS2 bandwagon, HomePlug AV might join the ranks of other now-defunct networking technologies.

NETGEAR(R) Teams With DS2 to Bring 200 Mbps Powerline HD Solution to Market

new BROADBAND over POWERLINES 200 Mbps BPL Technology


NETGEAR® Teams with DS2 to Bring 200 Mbps Powerline HD Solution to Market

Innovative Powerline Technology from NETGEAR and DS2 Enables High-Quality, High-Definition Video Streaming for the Digital Home


SANTA CLARA, Calif. — February 22, 2006 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking products, and Design of Systems on Silicon (DS2), a leading supplier for Powerline communications chipsets, today announced that they are teaming to deliver 200 Mbps Powerline HD technology that will make it possible for consumers to have an affordable, high-performance, high-quality broadband connection available anywhere in the home without the need to run any cabling between rooms.

By turning any electrical outlet into a high-speed broadband connection, the fast 200 Mbps speeds provided by this collaboration will enable consumers to easily maximize the use of their network-enabled devices, such as digital video recorders, game consoles, personal computers, print servers or the NETGEAR Storage Central for storage, file, and print sharing, backups, Internet gaming, and video streaming. This proprietary technology using standardized DS2 chipsets will offer video Quality of Service (QoS) that makes it possible for users to seamlessly stream high-definition video throughout the entire home.

“As applications like online gaming, whole-house audio distribution and high-definition video streaming are becoming more mainstream, consumers require fast, reliable broadband access in every room in the home without the inconvenience of running new wires,” stated Patrick Lo, CEO of NETGEAR. “We are excited to be working with DS2 to develop a solution that tackles that problem head on. Our collaborative technology will extend high-performance Internet connections to any room in the home, making it possible for consumers to enjoy high-quality, high-definition video and other bandwidth-hungry applications without interruption.”

“NETGEAR is a major force in the consumer electronics market and a leader in offering high-performance products,” said Jorge Blasco, CEO of DS2. “Our partnership with NETGEAR is proof positive that there is a growing consumer demand for Powerline products. Moreover, DS2’s 200 Mbps Powerline chipsets are providing simple, reliable broadband connectivity that offers the necessary bandwidth to connect the digital home. DS2 technology is proven and mature. Our technology is currently in use by several service providers and we are delighted to be working with NETGEAR to bring this technology directly to the consumer.”

The first NETGEAR products based on DS2’s Powerline technology are expected to ship in the second quarter of 2006 and will be available through NETGEAR’s consumer, reseller, and service provider channels.

Located in NETGEAR’s booth (Stand C58, Hall 13), NETGEAR and DS2 will be displaying their 200 Mbps Powerline HD technology at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany, from March 9 - 15, 2006.

About Design of Systems on Silicon (DS2)
DS2 is the world's leading supplier of the 200 Mbps technology that enables home networking and broadband access over Powerline, coaxial cable, and telephone wire. DS2 pioneered the industry with the introduction of its 200 Mbps chipsets, creating the fastest and highest performance solution for simultaneous data, digital audio and high-definition video transmission over any wire. Two preeminent industry groups, the Universal Powerline Association (UPA) and the European Union consortium OPERA (Open PLC European Research Alliance) have adopted DS2 technology in support of multi-vendor standard certified product. Both groups develop and support open standards based on interoperability, security and coexistence. The UPA is supported by independent certification and is the only global guarantee of quality for high-speed Powerline technology available today. For more information, please visit www.ds2.es.

AUSTRALIA: 200 mbps Internet access coming to Canberra's power lines

Internet access coming to Canberra's power lines
Howard Dahdah, PC World

23/02/2006 13:16:40

Canberra residents will be able to access broadband internet over power lines in spring, if TransACT's impending trial of the service proves to be a success, according to the company.

TransACT CIO and general manager Carsten Larsen said the company is looking at delivering the Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) service to office buildings, because many of the houses and medium-density units in Canberra and Queenbeyan already have TransACT's fibre cables running past them.

The first test site for the service, which will deliver download speeds of 200Mbs on a shared network, will be TransACT's own head office, Larsen said.

"The engineering is being drawn up. If we go from here to a connected environment, we can take the lessons from here to a live site.

"We have to feel all the bumps and problems with it. But we will give it a push and see if it works."

Larsen said supplying the service should be a simple process, given that TransACT is already a telco and an ISP, while TransACT's parent company ActewAGL is an electricity provider.

"We just need to find the distribution medium, and BPL is the provider of this," he added.

When live, the trial will run for three months. Should that prove successful, a commercial rollout is expected in the second half of this year, Larsen said.

new BROADBAND over POWERLINES 200 Mbps BPL Technology

CeBIT 2006 Hannover, DE: 9-15 March 2006 Come and see DS2 at Hall 14, Stand F34

CeBIT 2006

Hannover, GERMANY: 9-15 March 2006

Come and see DS2 at Hall 14, Stand F34




new BROADBAND over POWERLINES 200 Mbps BPL Technology

Broadband Over Power Lline Symposium: Deployment of BPL

new BROADBAND over POWERLINES 200 Mbps BPL Technology

UTC TELECOM 2006 - Broadband over Power Line Symposium
May 21-24, 2006

Tampa Convention Center
Tampa, FL

UTC BROADBAND over POWERLINES SYMPOSIUM

Europe approves powerline communications spec

new BROADBAND over POWERLINES 200 Mbps BPL Technology

Europe approves powerline communications spec
By John Blau, IDG News Service, 02/22/06

Efforts to use electricity cables to transmit data took a step forward in Europe with the publication of an open specification for power line communications.



The Open PLC European Research Alliance (OPERA), which is partly funded by the European Commission, said its specification will accelerate the development of products that use power lines for broadband Internet access, voice and video services, as well as utility applications such as automatic meter reading.

The approval of the specification, announced Tuesday, comes after more than two years of development by a consortium of experts from 35 organizations, including 10 universities.

Products based on the specification will deliver speeds of more than 200Mbps, according to OPERA. It is based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation and offers Frequency Division and Time Division repeating capabilities.

Whether PLC will ever take off remains to be seen, however. Ham radio operators, particularly in the U.S., contend that broadband over power lines interferes with their radio signals. OPERA claimed in a white paper that its technology is "Ham radio friendly."

Moreover, PLC competes head on with DSL and WLAN technologies in the local loop. In particular, WiMAX could pose a huge threat to PLC in rural areas where the Commission is keen to extend broadband coverage and, largely for this reason, has supported power line technology.

Equally worrisome, early PLC deployments in Europe have mostly failed.

A few years ago, Germany emerged as a hotbed of PLC development. Several regional electricity companies entered the fray, including Eon in Düsseldorf, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg in Karlsruhe and MVV Energie in Mannheim.

Eon has since abandoned the PLC market, claiming the technology is too complicated and costly to deploy, with little chance of seeing a return on investment.

Munich electronics giant Siemens had also hoped to be at the forefront of PLC. However, Siemens exited the market in 2001, citing regulatory delays and a lack of European standards.

In 1999, Nortel, in Brampton, Ontario, pulled the plug on its PLC activities in the U.K., claiming the technology would remain a niche product at best. Like Eon, it saw little chance of recouping the millions of dollars needed to develop reliable products and market the service.

OPERA hopes the publication of an open specification will change all that. Contained in the OPERA Technology White Paper, it can be downloaded from the group's Web site. Visitors must go to "Project Outputs," click on item "D59" and register with their e-mail address, name and organization

The PLC network defined by the OPERA specification includes three types of PLC units: the head-end equipment, which connects the PLC network to the backbone infrastructure; the repeater equipment, which is used to extend the coverage of the network; and the customer premises equipment, which connects the end-user to a PLC access network.

LIPA Request Proposals for Broadband over Power Lines !!!

February 21, 2006

The Long Island Power Authority Request For Proposals: Broadband over Power line (BPL) and Wireless Communications Demonstration Project

The Long Island Power Authority (the “Authority”) hereby solicits proposals from experienced firms in response to this Request For Proposal (“RFP”) to provide a Broadband Over Power Lines (BPL) and Wireless Communications Demonstration Project (referred to hereafter as “BPL and Wireless Demonstration Project”) to the Authority and its subsidiary, the Long Island Lighting Company d/b/a LIPA (collectively, “LIPA”). LIPA seeks proposals to deploy and operate a BPL and Wireless network and the associated utility and customer applications for a two year period to demonstrate (i) the ability of the BPL technology to support utility operations as defined herein, and (ii) the provision of broadband services as defined herein to one hundred and five (105) participating customers (“Customers”) on selected circuits in Hauppauge, New York. Both BPL and wireless technologies should be utilized as necessary to provide the most effective system. All systems, devices and communications should be designed to be in compliance with the IntelliGridSM Architecture.


ALSO READ: LIPA to test high-speed Internet service

EUROPE: OPERA® Approves First Specification for Powerline Communications Access

OPERA® Approves First Specification for Powerline Communications Access

Global Milestone Will Lead to the Production of Multiple Sources of Silicon and Standard, Interoperable PLC Equipment. Design of Systems on Silicon (DS2) Technology Selected as Baseline for Specification.



Madrid, 21st February 2006 – The Open PLC European Research Alliance (OPERA) today announced the development and approval of the first open global specification for Powerline Communications (PLC) access, also known as Broadband over Powerline (BPL). This specification will accelerate mass rollout of high-speed, low-cost, broadband access, voice and audiovisual services, as well as utility applications for control and management operations. Technology from Spanish chipmaker Design of Systems on Silicon (DS2) was selected as the baseline for the specification.

The OPERA specification provides a baseline for both PLC access technology as well as in-building applications, where powerline technology extends existing backbone technologies such as fiber to the home (FTTx), DSL and coax. The OPERA Specification has the support of the Universal Powerline Association (UPA), a group that includes leading PLC equipment suppliers.

“This is truly a major step forward for powerline communications. The level of industry cooperation and support has been overwhelming allowing OPERA to produce a specification that meets the requirements imposed by global electricity companies", said Victor Dominguez, Director of Strategy and Standardization at DS2.

After two years of development, a consortium of industry specialists from 37 companies and 10 universities, and supported by the European Commission, developed the specification based on a marketing and functional requirement blueprint ratified by OPERA. The Powerline Utility Alliance (PUA), which includes leading international utility companies such as ENDESA, ENEL, EDF, and IBERDROLA, designed the blueprint to cover all grid characteristics and to address global regulatory and industrial parameters.

Following an open call for proposals, the OPERA Specification Working Group tested technologies from various international vendors to evaluate performance, notching capabilities and industrial maturity against the blueprint requirements. The final specification includes contributions from various OPERA partners, including ASCOM, ADD, DS2, Dimat, EdF, Endesa, Iberdrola, Mainnet, Ilevo (Schneider Electric), PPC, Robotiker, Spidcom, Telvent, University of Dresden, University of Karlsruhe, and Yitran.

Brett Kilbourne, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Associate Counsel at United Telecom Council, stated - "This is clearly a major step forward. With numerous pilots and several major commercial deployments emerging in the US the time is ripe for a standard to facilitate mass roll-out."

The new specification provides for interoperability for non-OPERA technologies by means of a co-existence mechanism. This unique feature also guarantees that future versions of OPERA technology will be compatible with today’s specifications, smoothing the way for investment in the technology. The OPERA Specification has the support of the Universal Powerline Association (UPA), a group that includes leading PLC equipment suppliers.

The OPERA Board, including leading users of this technology, agreed upon intellectual property and licensing issues to accelerate final approval of the milestone document. The OPERA PLC specification will be promoted through international standardization organizations, including IEEE and ETSI.


About OPERA

OPERA stands for Open PLC Research Alliance and aims to develop a new generation PLC access standard to accelerate the adoption of low cost, high performance broadband access PLC. The project currently has 37 partners including electricity utilities, OEM manufacturers, technology providers, universities, engineering and consultancy companies and telecom operators. OPERA is co-financed by the European Union under the Sixth R&D Framework Program (FP6), and specifically addresses the theme “Broadband for all” which falls under the responsibility of the Information Society and Technologies Directorate General.

www.ist-OPERA.org

Duke Energy Selects Ambient BPL gear

BPLTODAY.COM: DUKE ENERGY PUSHES for AMBIENT BPL GEAR.

NY Sluggish on BPL Uptake

Despite two years of testing, New York is still studying the prospects of broadband over power lines.
February 20, 2006

‘The ability to better manage the utility grid system will be the driving force that will push this industry to significant commercialization in 2006.’

-John Joyce,

Ambient

With a number of public utilities across the United States deploying broadband over power lines, New York State, one of the first to consider the technology, is still studying it.



New York’s Public Service Commission (PSC) is seeking input from the small community of BPL vendors and others on the service, which would offer Internet access to power customers via their electrical outlets in the home (see Motorola Plans BPL Hybrid and IBM Jump-starts BPL Market).



The technology would also add intelligence to the electricity grid in the state, making it capable of reducing outages and allowing automatic meter reading.



The commission’s study runs parallel to two active trial deployments of BPL in New York State. Development-stage startup Ambient is partnering with Consolidated Edison, the New York City-based utility, to test the technology in Briarcliff Manor, New York, as well as parts of Manhattan and Orange County (see U.S. City Lights up BPL).

New Visions Powerline Communications, a Syracuse, New York startup, has deployed BPL technology in Solvay, New York. A test deployment in Penn Yan, New York, managed by Data Ventures, was discontinued in June 2005 (see BPL Lights Texas).



Offering BPL services in a state that includes some of the most densely populated urban and suburban areas in the U.S. raises a number of ticklish questions.



Safety and potential interference with other systems are two of the primary questions involved in deploying the technology within the state’s extensive grid of overhead and underground distribution facilities (see Shock Radio for BPL Firm).



But BPL promises to enhance the delivery of electricity across the state because it transforms the electricity grid into an intelligent network that can be used to monitor and manage the grid for outages, usage, and potential trouble situations (see Current Readies Voice over BPL).



The potential benefits of BPL have not been a question. The utilities, BPL equipment vendors, services companies, along with the state commissions, all agree that BPL will greatly enhance the transmission, distribution, reliability, and quality of power service.



It will also make manual meter reading, with its potential for errors, a thing of the past.



“The ability to better manage the utility grid system will be the driving force that will push this industry to significant commercialization in 2006, not necessarily for delivering broadband to the masses,” said John Joyce, chief executive of Ambient.



Broadband Reluctance

Deregulation of public utilities in the early 1990s freed many of them to begin investing in other businesses, and a number of them chose telecommunications.



But the telecommunications industry went through one of its more wrenching evolutions in the late 1990s after the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and many of the utilities failed at the telecommunications business.



Some believe those failures have contributed heavily to a general reluctance by utility firms to embrace BPL.



“Even though BPL will help the utilities improve and manage their assets, they have not been aggressively pursuing the opportunity, until recently,” said Mr. Joyce. “Most of them are now focusing on the intelligent grid rather than the broadband part of the investment.”



The PSC recognizes the general reluctance of utilities to act so the commission has made a point of minimizing its oversight and regulation of the technology.



The commission said its concerns are limited to the use of existing utility personnel to support commercial BPL deployments, along with costs incurred by the deployment and access.



The commission has also advised the state’s utilities that they should farm out the management of any commercial BPL business to specialists such as EarthLink. The Atlanta-based ISP has been one of a handful of major firms to focus on the still-emerging service.



Competing with the glut of broadband services marketed to the home such as cable, DSL, and wireless could prove to be a challenge, although the initial pricing of BPL Internet access has been under $30, which is quite competitive with DSL and less expensive than cable.



There are two commercial deployments of BPL in the U.S.—one in Cincinnati, Ohio, and another in Manassas, Virginia. The Cincinnati deployment is managed by Current Communications of Germantown, Maryland, while the Manassas network is run by Communication Technologies, of Chantilly, Virginia.

Power utility uses broadband over own lines to boost customer service

Broadband-over-powerlines hasn't taken off as a means of delivering fast internet to consumers, but a US electricity provider plans to harness it to improve its internal operations. Todd R Weiss reports
By Todd R Weiss, Auckland | Monday, 20 February, 2006

also Plug-in Internet connection to test on Long Island

By Ken Belson
The New York Times

Published: February 17, 2006, 6:16 AM PST

Customers love to grumble about their phone and cable companies, and residents on Long Island are no different. But for those unhappy with their service from Verizon or Cablevision, an alternative may be on the way.

The Long Island Power Authority announced on Wednesday that it would begin testing technology that provides high-speed Internet connections through people's electrical outlets, a service that could ultimately make a dent in a business now dominated by Cablevision and Verizon.

For several years, utilities across the country, including Con Edison, have been examining the technology, known as broadband over power line, or BPL. Companies like Cinergy in Cincinnati have started selling the service, which requires that customers plug in special adaptors that link to their computers via ethernet cables or wirelessly.

In addition to generating new revenue, the technology is attractive to utilities because the two-way Internet connections let them more effectively monitor their networks and their customers' electricity use. Some companies are also using the technology to provide Internet phone and video services to residential and business customers.

"We want to see if this is a business for LIPA in which we could utilize the revenue to hold down our electronic bills, which are under tremendous pressure," said Richard M. Kessel, the chairman of the power authority.

On Tuesday, the utility, which serves 1.1 million customers in Nassau, Suffolk and parts of Queens, will issue a request for bids from service providers that can install and operate the technology for 105 homes and businesses in Commack and Hauppauge.

Those customers are expected to receive BPL services in the second half of the year. The trial will last two years and the utility, if it decides to introduce the service on a broader scale, will ask for new bids.

LIPA would then compete directly with Cablevision and Verizon for broadband customers. Utilities typically charge $10 to $15 less than cable companies for Internet service because they do not need to install as much equipment in homes.

Despite BPL's potential, utilities have been slow to embrace it because the equipment has been relatively expensive and because of concerns that the equipment, some of which sits atop electric and telephone poles, interferes with ham radio service.

Utilities must also compete with cable and phone companies that have a greater array of products, significant marketing budgets and long experience selling to customers. Verizon and the other Bell companies have also been cutting their prices to as low as $12.95 for Internet connections, helping them attract hundreds of thousands of new customers each quarter.

Ambient Corp. responds to ARRL`s "frivolous" BPL Interference complaint

Ambient Corp. respond to ARRL`s "Frivolous" BPL Interference Complaint !!!!

February 14,2006


James Burtle, Chief
Office of Engineering and Technology
Federal Colninunications Commission
445 Twelfth Street, S. W.
Washington, D.C. 20554

RE: Interference Complaint, Ambient Corporation
Broadband Over Power Line System at Briarcliff Manor, NY
(ET Dkt NO. 04-37)

Dear Mr. Burtle:

This is in response to the letter addressed to you and others at the FCC, dated January 5,2006,
fioin Christopher D. Iinlay, on behalf of ARRL.
As the FCC can document fiom its records, Ambient Corporation ("Ambient") has been
conducting testing at a site in Westchester County, NY pursuant to FCC granted Part 5
Experimental authorizations, most recently pursuant to its experimental license, WD2XEQ. The
purpose of this testing, as is evident from our prior filings, has been to develop proprietary
technology to enable broadband access to high speed Internet services and utility applications via
broadband over power line technologies.
Under the framework of its Experimental License, Ambient continues to develop and test
methods for enhancing the performance of its BPL systems and to monitor and adjust the
parameters of its test facilities to be responsive to the concerns of the amateur radio operators
consistent with its obligations under its Experimental License.
Ambient is continuing testing operations on underground distribution plant in the Westchester
County area in addition to on-going testing of overhead plant.

Ambient has made advances in its software and hardware to develop new generations of products
which fully address all applicable regulatory requirements. It is continuing to make
improvements in compliance with applicable radiated emission limits upon power-up following a
fault condition or during start-up operation after a shut-off procedure, to immediately restore
previous settings.

As previously reported to the Commission, Ambient has developed capabilities to notch out
signals on Amateur bands, demonstrating significant advancements in its technology over the
relatively short time period of its test program. These bands include the following Amateur
Radio bands: 80,40, 30,20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters: 3.5-4 MHz, 7-7.3 MHz, 10.1-10.15 MHz,
14.0-14.35 MHz, 18,068 -18,168 MHz, 21-21.45 MHz; 24,890-24,990 MHz, and 28.0-29.7
MHz. Also, the Ambient frequency plan was modified to comply with excluded bands of
operations according to Table 1 of the FCC Part 15, Subpart G Rules.
On January 27,2006, Ambient personnel made EM1 measurements at several locations in
Briarcliff Manor, NY. The results show that contrary to ARRL claims, the “notching” in the
majority of amateur bands is in place. It also discovered that due to a software error, incurred in
recent upgrades, the “notching” in 18.068 - 18.168 MHz was shifted to the low edge, so,
necessary corrections were immediately implemented.
Ambient is continuing to design for the 2nd generation technology and periodically is upgrading
its software and hardware. These upgrades will provide much better capabilities for clean and
effective “notching”, compared to the current design equipment. In order to protect against
possible unanticipated software or hardware problems while its transition to Znd generation
technologies is taking place, Ambient personnel have implemented new procedures to ensure
that adequate notching is in place going forward.
Ambient also put in place last November procedures to give prior notification to and to consult
with public safety users in the areas where it has deployed its Experimental test systems
including in areas like Briarcliff Manor where it has been conducting longstanding trials under
its Experimental License.
In response to ARRL’s frivolous complaint that somehow Ambient is in violation of Condition #
7 in its Experimental License, Briarcliff Manor is clearly not a “new city.” Contrary to ARRL’s
claims, notifications with respect the location of Experimental operations are covered under the
specific terms of its Part 5 license, not Section 15.615 of the FCC’s rules. In any event, ARRL
already has access to the extensive data which the FCC compiled regarding Ambient’s
experimental operations in the Briarcliff Manor area.
We strongly object to ARRL’s arguments claiming that all signals from power line sources
adjacent to our Access BPL system which ARRL has detected in its testing automatically must
be considered “harmful interference” as defined in Section 15.5 of the FCC’s rules.

Finally, we also urge the FCC to deny the ARRL Petition for Reconsideration filed February 7,
2005 and to dismiss its recently filed companion pleading, Petition for Issuance of Further
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and for Amendment of Regulations, filed October 18,2005. It
seems self evident that ARRL is attempting, by making filings with respect to our experimental
operations, to halt or at least to discourage the efforts of companies like Ambient to develop and
to deploy advanced technologies in compliance with the FCC's new access BPL rules. The fact
that ARRL disagrees with significant aspects of the FCC's current rules does not justify this
improper use of the FCC's complaint procedures.
We request that the FCC dismiss or deny ARRL's January 5 letter for all of the reasons
presented here.


Respea;tfully submitted,

GEORGE Y. WHEELER

cc(by electronic mail):
Christopher Imlay (b fi tpc. aol . com)
Julius Knapp (julius.knapp@fcc.gov)
Joseph Casey (j oseph. caseyafcc. gov)

AMBIENT uses DS2 200 mbps BPL technology which is Ham-friendly

AMBIENT uses DS2 200Mbps BPL technology which is Ham-friendly !!!

Note: this is taken from DS2 press release. DS2 200 Mbps BPL chipsets used by Ambient Corporation for Con-Edison-New York, DUKE ENERGY, and SAN DIEGO,CA GAS and ELECTRIC for 2ND Generation 200 mbps BPL technology!!! Please read below !!!
================================

14 September 2005

DS2's Radio Friendly BPL Technology puts Competition on the Defensive

Speaking at 2005 UPLC Annual Conference, Victor Dominguez, DS2's Director of Strategy and Standardization, outlined the reasons why DS2's 200Mbps powerline solution is the only regulatory compliant technology available for BPL commercial deployments.

Dominguez was dismissive about claimed alternatives to DS2.

Mr Dominguez was adamant about competitors claims "I think that we have put the competition on the defensive. Our competitors would love to have the flexible notching capabilities that we have for BPL and In-Home PLCs, but the truth is that they don’t. DS2 has had dynamic notching since its first chip set and can mitigate radio interference in a programmable way and other PLC chipsets do not. We would like to thank our competition for the rumours propagated at several press interviews, they have been attracting attention towards one of the main competitive advantages of our technology, we mastered programmable notches in a 200 Mbps chipset more than 2 years ago, since then we have been shipping in volume for BPL and In-Home applications, and still remains to be proven that competition can follow us.”

DS2's technology is well known in the BPL industry for being one of the first proponents of programmable notching in powerline communications, as the best method for addressing potential interference to radio services. DS2’s 200 Mbps BPL technology, available in silicon since 2003, already implements this dynamic notching functionality, which has been tested in the field, in several commercial BPL deployments, and demonstrated in several BPL industry trade shows.

“Other competing technologies have some notches, but they are fixed, including the most advanced designs from followers (on top of that they exhibit performance below 40% our speed). This means that they fall short for the demands of regulators and consumers everywhere from the FCC to the European Commission who require that frequency bands can be selectively notched out, even after the equipment has been deployed. Operators deploying non-DS2 based solutions risk having their equipment withdrawn from the field because once it is out there, there is nothing that can be done to prevent interfence with radio signals. With DS2, however, any issues can be resolved even when the equipment is in the field by remotely disabling problematic frequencies thus complying with today's or future regulatory requirements and automatically avoiding any radio signals in any part of the world". Mr Dominguez placed special emphasis on the radio friendliness of the system.

In February this year, DS2's 200 Mbps powerline technology has been chosen as the baseline technology for the European utilities developing PLC standards to accelerate the adoption of low cost, high performance broadband access PLC. As part of the selection process, an extensive set of tests were performed, including notching functionality benchmarks for avoidance of potential interferences to radio services. In addition, report from Ofcom, the British telecom regulator recognised the significant advance represented “The flexibility of the DS2 product, with its programmable spectrum mask and downstream notching capability, represents a significant step towards a more EMC friendly PLT solution.”

Specifically, DS2 BPL system can implement notches in any frequency band, not only in radio amateur bands. This means that the system can be adapted to changing regulations in several countries. For example, FCC recently prohibited BPL Operators to use frequencies within defined "excluded bands". Only products based on DS2 technology can be adapted to this new regulation remotely from the Operator’s Network Operation Centre, while products based on competing chips would need to replace the hardware in the field.

DS2 200 Mbps the technology which underlies the majority of commercial access PLC and IPTV/ADSL deployments worldwide and has been built into equipment manufactured by the leading US, European and Asian BPL manufacturers. It is used by XDSL/IPTV operators like Telefonica and electricity giants such as Consolidated Edison, Duke Energy, EdF, EdP, Iberdrola and Endesa, to drive their broadband over powerline offerings. As of September 2005, the estimated number of consumers and businesses that enjoy access to IPTV, internet and voice-over IP services is estimated at 500,000, with more than two million homes passed in deployments with more than 30 power utilities world-wide.


About DS2

DS2 is the leading supplier of silicon and software for Power line Communications (PLC). DS2's award winning power line technology delivers data rates in excess of 200 Mbps to support multiple simultaneous video-streams, voice and data applications at low cost. DS2 is driving standardization activity in many international bodies.