Broadband Internet over Austin Energy Powerlines
William Howell
AUSTIN, TX (2006-07-31) Imagine plugging your laptop into a standard electrical outlet - anywhere in the city - that delivers not only power to your computer, but internet service too.
Well, Austin Energy plans to spend over 300-thousand dollars to test a new technology that could eventually be used to deliver broadband internet service over existing power lines. William Howell has more.
Click here to Listen !!!
Monday, July 31, 2006
WASHINGTON POST: 3 Big Deals Push Venture Funding to 4-Year Peak
By Terence O'Hara
Monday, July 31, 2006; Page D08
Venture capital funds put more money into Washington area companies in the second quarter than during any three-month period in the past four years.
Flush with cash and eager to put money into promising biotech and expanding technology firms, venture investors funded 54 companies to the tune of $455 million in the quarter. In the first quarter, 46 area firms raised $187 million, and in last year's second quarter 60 firms raised $291.6 million.
The surge in VC funding was driven by one giant telecom deal and two large biotech deals during the quarter.
Current Communications Group LLC , a Germantown firm that offers broadband Internet access over electrical power lines, raised $130 million in expansion capital from EarthLink , General Electric and Goldman, Sachs & Co .
CoGenesys Inc . , a Rockville spinoff from Human Genome Sciences Inc. , raised $55 million from New Enterprise Associates and other VC firms. MacroGenics Inc . , also of Rockville, raised $45 million from Alta Partners , Red Abbey Venture Partners and others.
Current and CoGenesys were the first and fifth-largest venture capital deals in the nation in the quarter.
MORE...
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Monday, July 31, 2006; Page D08
Venture capital funds put more money into Washington area companies in the second quarter than during any three-month period in the past four years.
Flush with cash and eager to put money into promising biotech and expanding technology firms, venture investors funded 54 companies to the tune of $455 million in the quarter. In the first quarter, 46 area firms raised $187 million, and in last year's second quarter 60 firms raised $291.6 million.
The surge in VC funding was driven by one giant telecom deal and two large biotech deals during the quarter.
Current Communications Group LLC , a Germantown firm that offers broadband Internet access over electrical power lines, raised $130 million in expansion capital from EarthLink , General Electric and Goldman, Sachs & Co .
CoGenesys Inc . , a Rockville spinoff from Human Genome Sciences Inc. , raised $55 million from New Enterprise Associates and other VC firms. MacroGenics Inc . , also of Rockville, raised $45 million from Alta Partners , Red Abbey Venture Partners and others.
Current and CoGenesys were the first and fifth-largest venture capital deals in the nation in the quarter.
MORE...
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
AUSTRALIA: Regional NSW BPL pilot to smash city broadband speeds
Howard Dahdah, PC World
31/07/2006 15:17:01
Country Energy (CE) is expected to supply the first commercial Broadband over Power line service in NSW in the latter half of the year. This means Internet surfers in regional NSW will, for the first time, have access to speeds that smash what is available to most users in the city.
The NSW-based power distribution provider has been working for over four years on bringing the service to fruition. The CE Executive will meet in August to consider the business case of the service.
"If it is approved we will commence a commercial pilot in Q4," said Geoff Fietz, manager of telecommunications enterprises at Country Energy.
Despite still needing management approval, Fietz was quietly confident the commercial pilot will proceed.
The utility has already been trialling BPL since November 2004 in Queanbeyan, near Canberra. That trial started with a 45Mbps service from hardware supplier Mitsubishi, but has since gone on to incorporate Mitsubishi's latest 200Mbps chip, which is now the standard speed offered by BPL providers worldwide.
Although logically the pilot points to Queanbeyan, Fietz remained tight-lipped about which part of NSW will receive the commercial service. He did say the pilot will cover a section of a regional town, passing about 300 houses.
"We feel 300 is a respectable number and will give us a good base to work from."
He also said the pilot will be provided in an area which already offers DSL. "We are going head-to-head against DSL. We feel we need to indicate that BPL can stand on its own."
A number of consumer plans will be offered, but Fietz did not provide specific details.
Unlike ADSL, the technical specifications of BPL provides for symmetric speeds, allowing users to benefit from the same upload speeds as download. The plans will most likely start at 10Mbps. However, the system can reach a theoretical maximum speed of 200Mbps.
Although BPL is very much a nascent technology in the country, this 200Mbps speed is significantly faster than what is offered by current cable or DSL providers.
According to the ACCC the majority of Australian broadband users are accessing broadband via ADSL technology which offers a maximum 1.5Mbps download limit. ADSL2+ presently offered by a handful of ISPs, does offer a maximum 24Mbps download with 1Mbps upstream. A drawback to ADSL2+ is that it's technically only available to residents that live within 1km of their exchange. Meanwhile, Optus' cable plans offer peak download speed of 9.9Mbps and upload speeds of 256Kbps.
Apart from fast speeds, Country Energy will also offer customers VoIP from two different suppliers. A video on demand service is also on the table.
To receive the service customers need to buy a BPL modem which plugs into a power point. PCs connect to the modems either via Ethernet or USB ports.
From the modem, the signal is then sent to a metering device that is housed in the mains power box attached to the outside of the house. After it leaves the home, the signal passes along the low voltage (LV) powerlines, going through repeaters every 400 metres or so, and then ending up at the Head End, which is the box containing the 200Mbps Mitsubishi or Schneider equipment. This equipment then connects to a fibre pipe which ultimately leads into the telecommunications network and to the Internet.
The service will be delivered underground, rather than above ground power lines. A drawback of BPL is that it emits noise that can interfere with high frequency signals used by amateur radio operators, of which there are 14,000 around Australia. The level of interference is significantly weaker when transmitted on underground cables as the ground absorbs most of this noise.
Fietz said the pilot will incorporate equipment from Mitsubishi and Schneider Electric. Both vendors have played an active role in Australia's BPL deployments and trials to date.
Long time coming
Country Energy's exploration of BPL technology commenced in 2001 largely through the interest that was already shown by Great Southern Energy, one of the three state-owned energy providers that were merged to form the power entity.
Country Energy commissioned independent telecommunications consulting company, Gibson Quai in 2002 to conduct a report about the viability of the service. The consultant's conclusion was that BPL represented "a good opportunity for Country Energy to add value to the existing infrastructure and to provide new services to its customers."
Following this, a BPL Business Development Plan was approved by the Country Energy Executive in May 2002 and set out a three-phase exploration process: Bench testing, Grid testing and Commercial pilot.
Subsequent reports and investigations have followed. To deal with the radio interference caused by BPL, Fietz said Country Energy brought out an expert from the Open University at Manchester, to conduct research.
Most recently in October, Rothcorp Research was hired to conduct telephone interviews across various regional centres asking them a series of questions relating to BPL technology. All up, 100 small businesses and 308 households were surveyed.
"A lot of work has needed to be done to develop the technology in-house. We have meandered through it, but always in a detailed way," he said.
Country Energy's reach is massive. The group came into being after the July 2001 merger of three state-owned energy providers: NorthPower in Port Macquarie, Advanced Energy in Bathurst, and Great Southern Energy in Queanbeyan. Broken Hill's Australia Inland Energy joined in July 2005. Geographically its grid covers 90 per cent of NSW - excluding Sydney, the Hunter region and the Southern Highlands - and includes 190,000km of power lines.
Juergen Bender, an international expert on BPL and one of the people responsible for the first ever BPL trial in Germany a decade ago, stressed that BPL is not a solution for all things.
"It will always be a niche technology," he said.
Wherever cable or DSL are seen as the incumbent broadband access technologies, BPL will find it tough to compete, he said.
==================
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
31/07/2006 15:17:01
Country Energy (CE) is expected to supply the first commercial Broadband over Power line service in NSW in the latter half of the year. This means Internet surfers in regional NSW will, for the first time, have access to speeds that smash what is available to most users in the city.
The NSW-based power distribution provider has been working for over four years on bringing the service to fruition. The CE Executive will meet in August to consider the business case of the service.
"If it is approved we will commence a commercial pilot in Q4," said Geoff Fietz, manager of telecommunications enterprises at Country Energy.
Despite still needing management approval, Fietz was quietly confident the commercial pilot will proceed.
The utility has already been trialling BPL since November 2004 in Queanbeyan, near Canberra. That trial started with a 45Mbps service from hardware supplier Mitsubishi, but has since gone on to incorporate Mitsubishi's latest 200Mbps chip, which is now the standard speed offered by BPL providers worldwide.
Although logically the pilot points to Queanbeyan, Fietz remained tight-lipped about which part of NSW will receive the commercial service. He did say the pilot will cover a section of a regional town, passing about 300 houses.
"We feel 300 is a respectable number and will give us a good base to work from."
He also said the pilot will be provided in an area which already offers DSL. "We are going head-to-head against DSL. We feel we need to indicate that BPL can stand on its own."
A number of consumer plans will be offered, but Fietz did not provide specific details.
Unlike ADSL, the technical specifications of BPL provides for symmetric speeds, allowing users to benefit from the same upload speeds as download. The plans will most likely start at 10Mbps. However, the system can reach a theoretical maximum speed of 200Mbps.
Although BPL is very much a nascent technology in the country, this 200Mbps speed is significantly faster than what is offered by current cable or DSL providers.
According to the ACCC the majority of Australian broadband users are accessing broadband via ADSL technology which offers a maximum 1.5Mbps download limit. ADSL2+ presently offered by a handful of ISPs, does offer a maximum 24Mbps download with 1Mbps upstream. A drawback to ADSL2+ is that it's technically only available to residents that live within 1km of their exchange. Meanwhile, Optus' cable plans offer peak download speed of 9.9Mbps and upload speeds of 256Kbps.
Apart from fast speeds, Country Energy will also offer customers VoIP from two different suppliers. A video on demand service is also on the table.
To receive the service customers need to buy a BPL modem which plugs into a power point. PCs connect to the modems either via Ethernet or USB ports.
From the modem, the signal is then sent to a metering device that is housed in the mains power box attached to the outside of the house. After it leaves the home, the signal passes along the low voltage (LV) powerlines, going through repeaters every 400 metres or so, and then ending up at the Head End, which is the box containing the 200Mbps Mitsubishi or Schneider equipment. This equipment then connects to a fibre pipe which ultimately leads into the telecommunications network and to the Internet.
The service will be delivered underground, rather than above ground power lines. A drawback of BPL is that it emits noise that can interfere with high frequency signals used by amateur radio operators, of which there are 14,000 around Australia. The level of interference is significantly weaker when transmitted on underground cables as the ground absorbs most of this noise.
Fietz said the pilot will incorporate equipment from Mitsubishi and Schneider Electric. Both vendors have played an active role in Australia's BPL deployments and trials to date.
Long time coming
Country Energy's exploration of BPL technology commenced in 2001 largely through the interest that was already shown by Great Southern Energy, one of the three state-owned energy providers that were merged to form the power entity.
Country Energy commissioned independent telecommunications consulting company, Gibson Quai in 2002 to conduct a report about the viability of the service. The consultant's conclusion was that BPL represented "a good opportunity for Country Energy to add value to the existing infrastructure and to provide new services to its customers."
Following this, a BPL Business Development Plan was approved by the Country Energy Executive in May 2002 and set out a three-phase exploration process: Bench testing, Grid testing and Commercial pilot.
Subsequent reports and investigations have followed. To deal with the radio interference caused by BPL, Fietz said Country Energy brought out an expert from the Open University at Manchester, to conduct research.
Most recently in October, Rothcorp Research was hired to conduct telephone interviews across various regional centres asking them a series of questions relating to BPL technology. All up, 100 small businesses and 308 households were surveyed.
"A lot of work has needed to be done to develop the technology in-house. We have meandered through it, but always in a detailed way," he said.
Country Energy's reach is massive. The group came into being after the July 2001 merger of three state-owned energy providers: NorthPower in Port Macquarie, Advanced Energy in Bathurst, and Great Southern Energy in Queanbeyan. Broken Hill's Australia Inland Energy joined in July 2005. Geographically its grid covers 90 per cent of NSW - excluding Sydney, the Hunter region and the Southern Highlands - and includes 190,000km of power lines.
Juergen Bender, an international expert on BPL and one of the people responsible for the first ever BPL trial in Germany a decade ago, stressed that BPL is not a solution for all things.
"It will always be a niche technology," he said.
Wherever cable or DSL are seen as the incumbent broadband access technologies, BPL will find it tough to compete, he said.
==================
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Duke plans to use power lines instead of radio transmissions to carry the metered information
Meter reading gets high-tech
Radio transmitters revolutionize how water company reads your meter
BY MARGARET A. MCGURK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Bill Adelhardt worked the same job for 16 years before technology took it away.
He's a little wistful about that.
"I miss the walking," said the former water-meter reader. "You were getting exercise and getting paid at the same time, so it was nice."
Adelhardt, of Bridgetown, is still employed by Greater Cincinnati Water Works, but now he drives a van as a field services representative.
His old job is done by a low-frequency radio transmitter sending meter readings to a truck that cruises the streets, scooping up as much information in one hour as 20 people used to collect in a day.
The $38 million project to shift GCWW customers to automated readings is more than half-finished. Some 170,000 transmitters are in place, and another 50,000 will be installed by the end of 2007, said GCWW assistant superintendent Alison Posinski, manager of "H2O Radio."
As the work progresses, notes and phone calls go out to individual account-holders asking for appointments to install the new devices. The switch has been remarkably easy, Posinski said, because customers cooperate.
"Cincinnati is wonderfully unique," she said. "We are a big small town. We have got 90 percent cooperation just by asking." Other cities have run into problems getting into as many buildings, she said. "Here in Cincinnati, people are very trusting. We have had great customer acceptance."
Other cities, including Chicago and Louisville, have sent delegates here to see how the switch works. One common question they raise is how Cincinnati handled employees whose jobs were disappearing.
"We didn't want to lay off any full-time employees, and we won't," she said.
Instead, the agency started offering promotions and training for new jobs in 2001, before the installation project began. GCWW employed 24 full-time meter readers in 2001; today, there are five, plus a few temporary summer workers.
Remote meter-reading for gas and electric is on the horizon, said Steve Brash, spokesman for Duke Energy.
The company is awaiting the Kentucky Public Service Commission's approval of a three-year plan to automate readings for 132,000 electric customers and 94,000 gas customers in Northern Kentucky. Duke's territory includes most of Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties and parts of Gallatin, Grant and Pendleton counties.
Duke plans to use power lines instead of radio transmissions to carry the metered information, Brash said. He pointed out that the company's research into delivering broadband Internet service over power lines uses a separate technology.
Brash said that if approval is granted, as expected, by the end of this year, about 40,000 electric meters and 28,000 gas meters would be replaced during 2007. The project will cost about $24 million to complete and should save $34 million through 2020, he said.
Ohio's 814,000 electric and 516,000 gas customers probably will have to wait three or four years until the Kentucky project is over, he said, so Duke can be sure the technology works properly and saves as much as expected.
The automated systems mean fewer missed readings and an end to estimates.
For many, it also means an end to a familiar social routine.
"It was a job I really liked a lot," Adelhardt said. "You get to know people on your route, people become friends to you, they know when you're coming, ask about your family. You miss all that.
"I think it's mostly the senior citizens that miss us more than anybody. They look forward to it. But for the working people, this system works out better."
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Broadband Power Line 2006 in Charlotte, NC featuring Duke Energy`s Broadband 0ver Power Line deployment site !!!
Broadband Power Line 2006
September 17-20, 2006
Omni Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
=======================
Special Address – Investors’ Perspective
For a broader view, we’ve invited a leading Wall Street BPL analyst to discuss what Wall Street and shareholders expect when it comes to BPL and utilities..
Judy Warrick
Senior Advisor, Morgan Stanley **INVITED
=======================
Sept. 18, 2006
8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Broadband Power Line 2006
Demo Hall Open
See it live! This is a chance to see what all the BPL vendors on the floor have to offer. Sprinkled throughout the day will be 10 minute presentations by each of the vendors on the floor highlighting their products and services – what they have available now and what they have plans to include. What better way to prepare for Tuesday’s educational program than to see where the industry is headed based on what the industries vendors have available?
12:30-1:30 p.m. Networking Lunch in the Demo Hall
2:00-5:00 p.m. BPL Site Visit – Duke Power
Duke is one of the largest and oldest BPL deployments in the country. Their deployment includes several vendors’ equipment as part of the demonstration. They are deploying BPL for a variety of commercial and utility applications, and have a team of personnel devoted to implementing BPL throughout the company’s operations. This site visit truly will offer a different take on BPL than any other tour you might have taken before.
UPLC Broadband Power Line 2006
read: Previous articles:
DUKE ENERGY selects AMBIENT/DS2 G2 200Mbps BPL gears in N. Carolina !!!
DS2 BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
UPLC Broadband Power Line 2006 -- Ambient Corp. is the Platinum Premier Event Sponsor !!!!!!!!!
Ambient Corp. BROADBAND over POWER LINES new 200 Mbps Technology gear based on DS2 CHIPSETS !!!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Austin, Texas looks at BROADBAND over POWER LINES
Austin Business Journal - 10:20 AM CDT Friday
The dot-com boom has come and gone, but the City of Austin wants to get into the Internet business.
At yesterday's city council meeting, the council approved a $317,500 proposal to pay a Virginia outfit called GTSI Corp. (Nasdaq: GTSI) to do a technical trial to design, build, and operate a system to provide broadband Internet service over the city's power grid.
The technology, which uses ancient-history power lines to deliver high-speed Internet signals, is called Broadband over Power Lines, or BPL.
BPL works by coupling radio energy onto power lines and distributing that into homes. A device in the home plugs into a normal wall outlet and provides an ethernet connection to a computer or home network.
The six month trial period will run from Aug. 1 to Feb. 1, 2007.
The contract will cost $250,000, with three 90-day extention options for $22,500 each.
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
The dot-com boom has come and gone, but the City of Austin wants to get into the Internet business.
At yesterday's city council meeting, the council approved a $317,500 proposal to pay a Virginia outfit called GTSI Corp. (Nasdaq: GTSI) to do a technical trial to design, build, and operate a system to provide broadband Internet service over the city's power grid.
The technology, which uses ancient-history power lines to deliver high-speed Internet signals, is called Broadband over Power Lines, or BPL.
BPL works by coupling radio energy onto power lines and distributing that into homes. A device in the home plugs into a normal wall outlet and provides an ethernet connection to a computer or home network.
The six month trial period will run from Aug. 1 to Feb. 1, 2007.
The contract will cost $250,000, with three 90-day extention options for $22,500 each.
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Behind The Blackouts
Tyson Slocum
July 28, 2006
Tyson Slocum is the director of Public Citizen’s energy program.
Ken Lay may have passed away and Jeff Skilling and other former executives face dozens of years behind bars, but Enron’s legacy—single-handedly pushing electric power deregulation at the federal and state levels—unfortunately remains the law of the land. The radical restructuring that Enron achieved a decade ago overturned a century of orderly, accountable electricity planning that had made America’s power system the envy of the world. But our deregulated system is now a mockery, and consumers are left with higher prices and poorer reliability. That’s why our electric grid—from the August 2003 blackout that cascaded across the Midwest and Northeast, to recent power outages in New York and California—is more susceptible to failures that trigger blackouts.
Before the implementation of Enron’s agenda, electric utilities were fully regulated by states, with one company responsible for producing and delivering power. These utilities had a legal obligation to serve all consumers and were forced to re-invest a portion of their profits back in to improving reliability. Were there flaws with this system? Of course. But it produced the most reliable and affordable power system the world had ever seen.
Enron and their ilk smashed it apart, replacing legal mandates with “the market” to regulate America’s power system. They assumed competition would successfully replace regulators to provide the necessary investments in power generation and transmission.
But that didn’t happen. With the requirements to invest a share of profits into improving reliability now removed, Wall Street and the power industry shunned putting their money into unprofitable investments like upgrading transmission lines and distribution networks. Why should investors spend money on low-rate-of-return investments like reliability when they can make a killing buying and selling power plants?
On top of this market failure, deregulation has also encouraged distributional utilities, like ConEd in New York, to skimp on preventative maintenance spending. They have slashed utility workforces—particularly experienced, unionized jobs. And regulators in New York and other deregulated states no longer pour over the companies’ reliability budgets, allowing the utilities’ service to slide in pursuit of higher profits. As a result, distributional utilities now have too much incentive to replace equipment after, not before, it blows.
Deregulation presents other challenges as well. The United States’ transmission system was designed to accommodate local electricity markets, not the large, freewheeling trading of electricity and movement of power over long distances under deregulation. Sending power over a much wider area strains a transmission system designed to serve local utilities.
Rather than require electric companies to return to their century-old obligation to re-invest in transmission, Congress and President Bush muscled through an energy bill last summer that jacks up power prices by allowing owners of transmission lines to charge higher prices. The energy bill sticks consumers with as much as $100 billion for the construction of new transmission lines that big energy companies want but consumers don’t need. This consumer-funded subsidy prioritizes the construction of power lines preferred by wire-hogging power marketers intent on moving large loads of electricity that will bypass the needs of local households.
Utilities are focusing more of their investments on things outside providing electricity service to customers—such as Enron-style power marketing, power plants far outside their retail service area, and ventures into broadband and the like. The result is a pattern where deregulation encourages billions of dollars to flow into non-utility ventures at the expense of shoring up reliability.
Rather than pandering to an electric industry that gave more than $47 million in campaign contributions to federal candidates since 2001 (with 66 percent of that total going to Republicans) Congress needs to restore reliability and affordability to our electric power system. Three steps to improving our system include:
Providing incentives and assistance to states to help utilities re-acquire generation assets divested during deregulation;
Promoting decentralized power sources such as distributed generation and wind and solar energy; and,
Investing in energy efficiency technologies, such as building weatherization, to reduce electricity demand.
And states must insist on regulators that will be accountable to citizens, not utility company special interests. Ending the ability of regulators to cash in through the revolving door of getting a lucrative job after serving on public utility commissions would help restore accountability. And state and local governments can explore government-owned power, which provides lower-cost and more reliable service for millions of Americans across the country.
The recent blackouts were caused by a failure of policy. Ending the disastrous deregulation experiment and establishing locally-controlled power systems will help restore America’s electricity sector.
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
July 28, 2006
Tyson Slocum is the director of Public Citizen’s energy program.
Ken Lay may have passed away and Jeff Skilling and other former executives face dozens of years behind bars, but Enron’s legacy—single-handedly pushing electric power deregulation at the federal and state levels—unfortunately remains the law of the land. The radical restructuring that Enron achieved a decade ago overturned a century of orderly, accountable electricity planning that had made America’s power system the envy of the world. But our deregulated system is now a mockery, and consumers are left with higher prices and poorer reliability. That’s why our electric grid—from the August 2003 blackout that cascaded across the Midwest and Northeast, to recent power outages in New York and California—is more susceptible to failures that trigger blackouts.
Before the implementation of Enron’s agenda, electric utilities were fully regulated by states, with one company responsible for producing and delivering power. These utilities had a legal obligation to serve all consumers and were forced to re-invest a portion of their profits back in to improving reliability. Were there flaws with this system? Of course. But it produced the most reliable and affordable power system the world had ever seen.
Enron and their ilk smashed it apart, replacing legal mandates with “the market” to regulate America’s power system. They assumed competition would successfully replace regulators to provide the necessary investments in power generation and transmission.
But that didn’t happen. With the requirements to invest a share of profits into improving reliability now removed, Wall Street and the power industry shunned putting their money into unprofitable investments like upgrading transmission lines and distribution networks. Why should investors spend money on low-rate-of-return investments like reliability when they can make a killing buying and selling power plants?
On top of this market failure, deregulation has also encouraged distributional utilities, like ConEd in New York, to skimp on preventative maintenance spending. They have slashed utility workforces—particularly experienced, unionized jobs. And regulators in New York and other deregulated states no longer pour over the companies’ reliability budgets, allowing the utilities’ service to slide in pursuit of higher profits. As a result, distributional utilities now have too much incentive to replace equipment after, not before, it blows.
Deregulation presents other challenges as well. The United States’ transmission system was designed to accommodate local electricity markets, not the large, freewheeling trading of electricity and movement of power over long distances under deregulation. Sending power over a much wider area strains a transmission system designed to serve local utilities.
Rather than require electric companies to return to their century-old obligation to re-invest in transmission, Congress and President Bush muscled through an energy bill last summer that jacks up power prices by allowing owners of transmission lines to charge higher prices. The energy bill sticks consumers with as much as $100 billion for the construction of new transmission lines that big energy companies want but consumers don’t need. This consumer-funded subsidy prioritizes the construction of power lines preferred by wire-hogging power marketers intent on moving large loads of electricity that will bypass the needs of local households.
Utilities are focusing more of their investments on things outside providing electricity service to customers—such as Enron-style power marketing, power plants far outside their retail service area, and ventures into broadband and the like. The result is a pattern where deregulation encourages billions of dollars to flow into non-utility ventures at the expense of shoring up reliability.
Rather than pandering to an electric industry that gave more than $47 million in campaign contributions to federal candidates since 2001 (with 66 percent of that total going to Republicans) Congress needs to restore reliability and affordability to our electric power system. Three steps to improving our system include:
Providing incentives and assistance to states to help utilities re-acquire generation assets divested during deregulation;
Promoting decentralized power sources such as distributed generation and wind and solar energy; and,
Investing in energy efficiency technologies, such as building weatherization, to reduce electricity demand.
And states must insist on regulators that will be accountable to citizens, not utility company special interests. Ending the ability of regulators to cash in through the revolving door of getting a lucrative job after serving on public utility commissions would help restore accountability. And state and local governments can explore government-owned power, which provides lower-cost and more reliable service for millions of Americans across the country.
The recent blackouts were caused by a failure of policy. Ending the disastrous deregulation experiment and establishing locally-controlled power systems will help restore America’s electricity sector.
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Two-way IPTV broadcast celebrates Earth Day
A Virginia telecommunications company has teamed up with the Earth Day Network to offer what they believe will be the largest two-way IPTV (Internet Protocol television) event ever attempted. A Virginia telecommunications company has teamed up with the Earth Day Network to offer what they believe will be the largest two-way IPTV (Internet Protocol television) event ever attempted.
On Friday, the Earth Day Network and Communications Technology Inc. (ComTek) will offer a live, two-way IPTV broadcast to about 16,000 high school and college classrooms across the U.S. Using ComTek's PowerTV network, students will be able to view the broadcast through a Web browser and ask questions by e-mail.
Friday is Earth Day, the environmental observance started in 1970.
ComTek's IPTV offering combines the power of live television, PCs and the World Wide Web, said Joseph Fergus, the company's president and chief executive officer. "IPTV converges three of the most powerful and pervasive communications in the history of humankind," said Fergus, a former senior scientist at Bell Labs.
While participants in the Earth Day event will ask questions of environmental experts and religious leaders by e-mail, PowerTV also allows two-way communication by VOIP (voice over IP), he said during a press conference Tuesday. "There is an ability to interact with the Web, including voice over IP, in a way that's never been done before, with a sort of clarity that didn't exist before," Fergus said.
IPTV can be live or prerecorded and broadcast at any time with DVD quality, according to ComTek, based in Chantilly, Virginia.
With PowerTV, viewer experience can be interactive, unlike over-the-air or cable television broadcasting, the company said.
The ability of users to view PowerTV broadcasts in Web browsers was attractive to the Earth Day Network, said Jeff Nesbit, the group's vice president of communications. "None of these classrooms need to sign up for Web conferencing," he said. "None of them have to do anything other than simply utilize their Web connection."
ComTek has spent US$11 million to develop its PowerTV service over a three-year period, the company said. It is distributed over ComTek's private IP network that integrates fiber, wireless, broadband-over-power-lines and satellite broadband.
The "national town hall meeting," broadcast from Washington, D.C., will include nine speakers, including a group of environmental scientists. A second panel of religious leaders talking about the environment will follow the scientists.
The broadcast happen from 1 to 3 p.m. EST Friday at http://www.earthdaynetwork.tv. The broadcast is free to view.
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
On Friday, the Earth Day Network and Communications Technology Inc. (ComTek) will offer a live, two-way IPTV broadcast to about 16,000 high school and college classrooms across the U.S. Using ComTek's PowerTV network, students will be able to view the broadcast through a Web browser and ask questions by e-mail.
Friday is Earth Day, the environmental observance started in 1970.
ComTek's IPTV offering combines the power of live television, PCs and the World Wide Web, said Joseph Fergus, the company's president and chief executive officer. "IPTV converges three of the most powerful and pervasive communications in the history of humankind," said Fergus, a former senior scientist at Bell Labs.
While participants in the Earth Day event will ask questions of environmental experts and religious leaders by e-mail, PowerTV also allows two-way communication by VOIP (voice over IP), he said during a press conference Tuesday. "There is an ability to interact with the Web, including voice over IP, in a way that's never been done before, with a sort of clarity that didn't exist before," Fergus said.
IPTV can be live or prerecorded and broadcast at any time with DVD quality, according to ComTek, based in Chantilly, Virginia.
With PowerTV, viewer experience can be interactive, unlike over-the-air or cable television broadcasting, the company said.
The ability of users to view PowerTV broadcasts in Web browsers was attractive to the Earth Day Network, said Jeff Nesbit, the group's vice president of communications. "None of these classrooms need to sign up for Web conferencing," he said. "None of them have to do anything other than simply utilize their Web connection."
ComTek has spent US$11 million to develop its PowerTV service over a three-year period, the company said. It is distributed over ComTek's private IP network that integrates fiber, wireless, broadband-over-power-lines and satellite broadband.
The "national town hall meeting," broadcast from Washington, D.C., will include nine speakers, including a group of environmental scientists. A second panel of religious leaders talking about the environment will follow the scientists.
The broadcast happen from 1 to 3 p.m. EST Friday at http://www.earthdaynetwork.tv. The broadcast is free to view.
====
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
GERMANY: BROADBAND over POWER LINES piques global interest
A new broadband technology has been gaining momentum in the global ICT environment -- known as broadband over power lines (BPL), this latest data connectivity solution utilizes an existing power grid as a telecommunications infrastructure as it were, delivering high-speed Internet access over the copper cabling which carries electricity to the customer?s premises. A new broadband technology has been gaining momentum in the global ICT environment -- known as broadband over power lines (BPL), this latest data connectivity solution utilizes an existing power grid as a telecommunications infrastructure as it were, delivering high-speed Internet access over the copper cabling which carries electricity to the customer's premises.
BPL is an intriguing prospect, and a technology which utilities providers across the world, including Eskom SA, are looking at to expand their service offerings.
International research expert Gartner Dataquest published its report on the technology in March of this year, and its findings suggest good opportunities tempered by a cautious approach, as the technology does have its weaknesses. Business models of data connectivity providers married with utilities providers remain largely unproven, since BPL deployments remain limited, for the various reasons outlined below.
In Europe in the late 90s a number of successful BPL deployments were conducted to prove the viability of the technology in bringing broadband connectivity to the market with access to the electrical grid. While technically successful, none of these deployments successfully evolved into commercial concerns, even though at the time more conventional broadband connectivity mechanisms, like ADSL and cable, positively exploded.
Inhibitors
The availability of these competitive access networks, provided by organizations whose sole focus of operations lay in the field of Internet connectivity, was one of the primary inhibitors of successful BPL roll-out.
And now, some five years down the line, the technology has become a very late entrant into the established broadband connectivity marketplace, as a result of these delays, as well as a lack of regulatory recognition of BPL as a viable technology offering.
The beginning of this year saw the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) release a set of standards for governing the use and deployment of BPL in the overall communications landscape. A large portion of this rule set deals with concerns raised over frequency interference, as BPL operates in a frequency range from 2 to 50MHz, and runs over conventional unshielded copper power lines, therefore the potential for interference with both conventional telecommunications services and wireless connectivity solutions emerging in the marketplace is substantial.
The FCC rule set aims to address these interference concerns with new BPL equipment certification procedures, new measurement procedures for BPL-radiated emissions, and by requiring that BPL systems incorporate certain modifications in their operations to mitigate harmful interference. These modifications include a system of 'notching' transmissions, or being able to cease the broadcast of BPL signals in areas where interference with existing operators is confirmed, as well as the ability to remotely shut down any BPL units.
Even with these regulations in place, widespread deployment, in areas which could benefit from BPL, is likely to remain slow, as the technology itself still has its own inherent limitations. As a rural broadband solution, BPL is not very cost-effective: as with any other cable-based signalling solution it requires that the signal be boosted every few kilometers, due to decay over copper lines. Meanwhile, in urban areas, where the technology can be cost-effective, broadband offerings based on fixed-line or wireless infrastructures already compete for the attentions of the consumer, and are likely to continue to be the first choice for these users, based on their specific requirements.
Commenting on the recent media hype regarding using power lines for IP communications, Andy Brauer, chief technology executive for Business Connexion's Networks Competency, says companies should wait for the ink to dry on the Convergence Bill before leaping into uncharted territory.
'Until the details of the Convergence Bill are made public, it is uncertain whether power utility companies may or may not be able to provide telecommunications services. In addition, it is unclear as to which licences they should apply for, and under which conditions these companies will be able to provide such a service,' says Brauer.
Improve core business
'Power utility companies should rather focus on improving their core business, before they explore the telecommunications market,' he adds. Power suppliers still rely on manual meter reading, for instance, when these could be done digitally and remotely.
Threats surrounding Internet over Power Cable are also numerous. Interference over the electricity line is frequent, and would become problematic if not taken care of, data delivery speeds are lower, data security will have to be invested in, and transformers are still expensive. Aside from these threats, Mother Nature also presents a problem in the form of lightning. Electricity poles are not immune to lightning strikes.
'Given all these factors, it is imperative that companies look at the business case for providing data and voice over electric lines before taking the step down a treacherous path,' he says.
The Gartner report concludes by urging utilities providers in areas where BPL makes the most sense, namely areas underserved by the telecommunications infrastructure but with access to the electricity grid, to act quickly in order to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the technology.
Should the uncertain regulatory conditions in SA continue to suppress its adoption, the window of opportunity for BPL services could well be closed as these markets become covered by new wireless access solutions -- WiMAX with its support by the industry heavyweights being the primary concern here.
Partnering with a telecommunications provider appears to be the best way to create a commercially-viable platform for providing these connectivity services, while differentiating the service by adding products and applications to complement these bundled utilities and communications offerings could open up a lucrative sector in the local market, in which BPL solutions could prove the ideal answer.
---
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
BPL is an intriguing prospect, and a technology which utilities providers across the world, including Eskom SA, are looking at to expand their service offerings.
International research expert Gartner Dataquest published its report on the technology in March of this year, and its findings suggest good opportunities tempered by a cautious approach, as the technology does have its weaknesses. Business models of data connectivity providers married with utilities providers remain largely unproven, since BPL deployments remain limited, for the various reasons outlined below.
In Europe in the late 90s a number of successful BPL deployments were conducted to prove the viability of the technology in bringing broadband connectivity to the market with access to the electrical grid. While technically successful, none of these deployments successfully evolved into commercial concerns, even though at the time more conventional broadband connectivity mechanisms, like ADSL and cable, positively exploded.
Inhibitors
The availability of these competitive access networks, provided by organizations whose sole focus of operations lay in the field of Internet connectivity, was one of the primary inhibitors of successful BPL roll-out.
And now, some five years down the line, the technology has become a very late entrant into the established broadband connectivity marketplace, as a result of these delays, as well as a lack of regulatory recognition of BPL as a viable technology offering.
The beginning of this year saw the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) release a set of standards for governing the use and deployment of BPL in the overall communications landscape. A large portion of this rule set deals with concerns raised over frequency interference, as BPL operates in a frequency range from 2 to 50MHz, and runs over conventional unshielded copper power lines, therefore the potential for interference with both conventional telecommunications services and wireless connectivity solutions emerging in the marketplace is substantial.
The FCC rule set aims to address these interference concerns with new BPL equipment certification procedures, new measurement procedures for BPL-radiated emissions, and by requiring that BPL systems incorporate certain modifications in their operations to mitigate harmful interference. These modifications include a system of 'notching' transmissions, or being able to cease the broadcast of BPL signals in areas where interference with existing operators is confirmed, as well as the ability to remotely shut down any BPL units.
Even with these regulations in place, widespread deployment, in areas which could benefit from BPL, is likely to remain slow, as the technology itself still has its own inherent limitations. As a rural broadband solution, BPL is not very cost-effective: as with any other cable-based signalling solution it requires that the signal be boosted every few kilometers, due to decay over copper lines. Meanwhile, in urban areas, where the technology can be cost-effective, broadband offerings based on fixed-line or wireless infrastructures already compete for the attentions of the consumer, and are likely to continue to be the first choice for these users, based on their specific requirements.
Commenting on the recent media hype regarding using power lines for IP communications, Andy Brauer, chief technology executive for Business Connexion's Networks Competency, says companies should wait for the ink to dry on the Convergence Bill before leaping into uncharted territory.
'Until the details of the Convergence Bill are made public, it is uncertain whether power utility companies may or may not be able to provide telecommunications services. In addition, it is unclear as to which licences they should apply for, and under which conditions these companies will be able to provide such a service,' says Brauer.
Improve core business
'Power utility companies should rather focus on improving their core business, before they explore the telecommunications market,' he adds. Power suppliers still rely on manual meter reading, for instance, when these could be done digitally and remotely.
Threats surrounding Internet over Power Cable are also numerous. Interference over the electricity line is frequent, and would become problematic if not taken care of, data delivery speeds are lower, data security will have to be invested in, and transformers are still expensive. Aside from these threats, Mother Nature also presents a problem in the form of lightning. Electricity poles are not immune to lightning strikes.
'Given all these factors, it is imperative that companies look at the business case for providing data and voice over electric lines before taking the step down a treacherous path,' he says.
The Gartner report concludes by urging utilities providers in areas where BPL makes the most sense, namely areas underserved by the telecommunications infrastructure but with access to the electricity grid, to act quickly in order to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the technology.
Should the uncertain regulatory conditions in SA continue to suppress its adoption, the window of opportunity for BPL services could well be closed as these markets become covered by new wireless access solutions -- WiMAX with its support by the industry heavyweights being the primary concern here.
Partnering with a telecommunications provider appears to be the best way to create a commercially-viable platform for providing these connectivity services, while differentiating the service by adding products and applications to complement these bundled utilities and communications offerings could open up a lucrative sector in the local market, in which BPL solutions could prove the ideal answer.
---
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
USATODAY.com: Power grids put to the test- Heat wave too much for old networks.
Aging grids cited in blackouts
Posted 7/27/2006 9:59 PM ET
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
The nation's power system may be showing its age.
Recent heat wave-related blackouts in California and New York are at least partly being blamed on creaky transformers, circuit breakers and cables.
And smaller outages in cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Houston will be investigated to see if aging parts played a role, says Stan Johnson of the North American Electric Reliability Council.
Low investment in interstate transmission lines could lead to more regional blackouts, such as the one that hit the Northeast in August 2003. The trends show the need to pump more money into the power grid to meet demand, federal officials say. That would mean higher consumer rates.
"There is a need to spend more," says Gerry Cauley, vice president of standards for the reliability council.
While Johnson says the USA's power grid handled the heat spell well, key trouble spots were exposed:
•In Queens, N.Y., as households boosted their electricity usage during last week's heat wave, high-voltage feeder cables failed, plunging 25,000 Con Edison customers into darkness for up to nine days. Reports to state regulators show that the Queens system had 71 equipment failures last year and that many parts were 30 to 60 years old.
"Age is not necessarily an indicator of performance," Con Ed's Chris Olert says.
While even new cables break if stressed, older ones have more cracks that absorb corrosive moisture, says Gerald Wilson, a power-system expert at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. New York last year told Con Ed to spend $3.4 billion on upgrades by 2009.
•In Southern California, more than 1 million customers of Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have lost power since July 13. Utility executives blamed the record heat wave and transformers that weren't built to handle customers' new central air conditioning systems, multiple computers and big-screen TVs.
Southern California Edison already planned to spend $7 billion by 2011 on upgrades, and may seek further rate increases for extra transformers, Senior Vice President Ron Litzinger says.
•In Franklin, Tenn., 10,000 homes lost power for 90 minutes in May as a 40-year-old surge protector broke.
A bigger weak spot may be the transmission lines that bring electricity to regions. As demand and power supply rose 2.5% a year from 1993 to 2004, delivery lines grew just 0.75%, says the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
"You're raising the prospects we will see another major regional blackout," FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher says.
New rules allowing utilities higher returns should spur construction. Yet, local regulators may be loath to clear rate increases for other upgrades with rates in some states soaring, Johnson says.
=====
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Posted 7/27/2006 9:59 PM ET
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
The nation's power system may be showing its age.
Recent heat wave-related blackouts in California and New York are at least partly being blamed on creaky transformers, circuit breakers and cables.
And smaller outages in cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Houston will be investigated to see if aging parts played a role, says Stan Johnson of the North American Electric Reliability Council.
Low investment in interstate transmission lines could lead to more regional blackouts, such as the one that hit the Northeast in August 2003. The trends show the need to pump more money into the power grid to meet demand, federal officials say. That would mean higher consumer rates.
"There is a need to spend more," says Gerry Cauley, vice president of standards for the reliability council.
While Johnson says the USA's power grid handled the heat spell well, key trouble spots were exposed:
•In Queens, N.Y., as households boosted their electricity usage during last week's heat wave, high-voltage feeder cables failed, plunging 25,000 Con Edison customers into darkness for up to nine days. Reports to state regulators show that the Queens system had 71 equipment failures last year and that many parts were 30 to 60 years old.
"Age is not necessarily an indicator of performance," Con Ed's Chris Olert says.
While even new cables break if stressed, older ones have more cracks that absorb corrosive moisture, says Gerald Wilson, a power-system expert at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. New York last year told Con Ed to spend $3.4 billion on upgrades by 2009.
•In Southern California, more than 1 million customers of Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have lost power since July 13. Utility executives blamed the record heat wave and transformers that weren't built to handle customers' new central air conditioning systems, multiple computers and big-screen TVs.
Southern California Edison already planned to spend $7 billion by 2011 on upgrades, and may seek further rate increases for extra transformers, Senior Vice President Ron Litzinger says.
•In Franklin, Tenn., 10,000 homes lost power for 90 minutes in May as a 40-year-old surge protector broke.
A bigger weak spot may be the transmission lines that bring electricity to regions. As demand and power supply rose 2.5% a year from 1993 to 2004, delivery lines grew just 0.75%, says the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
"You're raising the prospects we will see another major regional blackout," FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher says.
New rules allowing utilities higher returns should spur construction. Yet, local regulators may be loath to clear rate increases for other upgrades with rates in some states soaring, Johnson says.
=====
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Texas: Austin to test broadband over power lines
City wants to find out whether electrical grid can carry information.
By Robert Elder
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, July 28, 2006
The Austin City Council on Thursday approved spending up to $317,500 to test an emerging technology that delivers broadband Internet service over conventional power lines.
The technology, however, won't reach area homes anytime soon, if ever.
Peter Collins, the city's chief information officer, said the project will test how well Austin Energy's power lines, transformers and other infrastructure are able to deliver broadband.
"Everyone is saying how great this is," Collins said of broadband over power lines, which for years has been touted as a third high-speed Internet pipe into homes and businesses, competing with cable and the digital subscriber line service offered by phone companies. "All we want to know is, what does this really do?
"I don't like to jump on a new technology just because everyone else is jumping on it," he said. "This is an education pilot program for us."
Collins said the city is highly unlikely to compete with cable and DSL service.
Instead, he said, city departments will be the first users of the system for functions such as remote metering of water and electricity use and to detect problems on power lines and other equipment.
The council hired GTSI Corp. to oversee the design and construction of the network. GTSI, based in Chantilly, Va., will use Boise, Idaho-based PowerGrid Communications to build the network.
Broadband over power lines, known as BPL, hasn't taken hold in the consumer or commercial markets as a viable competitor to cable and DSL.
Users connect to BPL through a modem plugged into an electrical outlet.
Getting data to that point, however, requires what the industry calls a smart grid. High-voltage lines carry too much power to allow data to move reliably on the line, so BPL uses low-voltage lines.
The signal must be boosted along the line by devices called repeaters, which amplify the data and pass it along to the next repeater. The data also must be routed around bypass transformers, which reduce standard voltage enough for household use.
Major utilities are keen on the technology.
A unit of Dallas-based TXU Corp. paid $150 million for part ownership in Current Communications Group LLC, which is developing a BPL network on TXU's transmission system that could potentially serve 2 million customers.
But TXU, like most utilities installing or testing BPL, is also looking at ways to install sophisticated monitoring devices to detect equipment problems in their early stages and cut repair costs.
Collins said a hybrid form of BPL could be used by the city for remote reading of meters, for instance. Austin Energy would be able to read a meter from a close-by wireless connection.
Some opposition to BPL has come from ham radio operators, who say the technology interferes with ham and short-wave radio transmissions.
Collins said that he is working with local ham radio groups to monitor interference problems and that once the network is built, the city will test systemwide for such problems.
By Robert Elder
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, July 28, 2006
The Austin City Council on Thursday approved spending up to $317,500 to test an emerging technology that delivers broadband Internet service over conventional power lines.
The technology, however, won't reach area homes anytime soon, if ever.
Peter Collins, the city's chief information officer, said the project will test how well Austin Energy's power lines, transformers and other infrastructure are able to deliver broadband.
"Everyone is saying how great this is," Collins said of broadband over power lines, which for years has been touted as a third high-speed Internet pipe into homes and businesses, competing with cable and the digital subscriber line service offered by phone companies. "All we want to know is, what does this really do?
"I don't like to jump on a new technology just because everyone else is jumping on it," he said. "This is an education pilot program for us."
Collins said the city is highly unlikely to compete with cable and DSL service.
Instead, he said, city departments will be the first users of the system for functions such as remote metering of water and electricity use and to detect problems on power lines and other equipment.
The council hired GTSI Corp. to oversee the design and construction of the network. GTSI, based in Chantilly, Va., will use Boise, Idaho-based PowerGrid Communications to build the network.
Broadband over power lines, known as BPL, hasn't taken hold in the consumer or commercial markets as a viable competitor to cable and DSL.
Users connect to BPL through a modem plugged into an electrical outlet.
Getting data to that point, however, requires what the industry calls a smart grid. High-voltage lines carry too much power to allow data to move reliably on the line, so BPL uses low-voltage lines.
The signal must be boosted along the line by devices called repeaters, which amplify the data and pass it along to the next repeater. The data also must be routed around bypass transformers, which reduce standard voltage enough for household use.
Major utilities are keen on the technology.
A unit of Dallas-based TXU Corp. paid $150 million for part ownership in Current Communications Group LLC, which is developing a BPL network on TXU's transmission system that could potentially serve 2 million customers.
But TXU, like most utilities installing or testing BPL, is also looking at ways to install sophisticated monitoring devices to detect equipment problems in their early stages and cut repair costs.
Collins said a hybrid form of BPL could be used by the city for remote reading of meters, for instance. Austin Energy would be able to read a meter from a close-by wireless connection.
Some opposition to BPL has come from ham radio operators, who say the technology interferes with ham and short-wave radio transmissions.
Collins said that he is working with local ham radio groups to monitor interference problems and that once the network is built, the city will test systemwide for such problems.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Broadband Power Line 2006 in Charlotte, NC featuring Duke Energy`s Broadband 0ver Power Line !!!
Ambient Corp.is the Platinum Premier Event Sponsor !!!
============================
Broadband Power Line 2006
September 17-20, 2006
Omni Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
=======================
Special Address – Investors’ Perspective
For a broader view, we’ve invited a leading Wall Street BPL analyst to discuss what Wall Street and shareholders expect when it comes to BPL and utilities..
Judy Warrick
Senior Advisor, Morgan Stanley **INVITED
=======================
Sept. 18, 2006
8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Broadband Power Line 2006
Demo Hall Open
See it live! This is a chance to see what all the BPL vendors on the floor have to offer. Sprinkled throughout the day will be 10 minute presentations by each of the vendors on the floor highlighting their products and services – what they have available now and what they have plans to include. What better way to prepare for Tuesday’s educational program than to see where the industry is headed based on what the industries vendors have available?
12:30-1:30 p.m. Networking Lunch in the Demo Hall
2:00-5:00 p.m. BPL Site Visit – Duke Power
Duke is one of the largest and oldest BPL deployments in the country. Their deployment includes several vendors’ equipment as part of the demonstration. They are deploying BPL for a variety of commercial and utility applications, and have a team of personnel devoted to implementing BPL throughout the company’s operations. This site visit truly will offer a different take on BPL than any other tour you might have taken before.
UPLC Broadband Power Line 2006
read: Previous articles:
DUKE ENERGY selects AMBIENT/DS2 G2 200Mbps BPL gears in N. Carolina !!!
DS2 BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Ambient Corp. BROADBAND over POWER LINES new 200 Mbps Technology gear based on DS2 CHIPSETS !!!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Risk capital likes Md.: Current Communications gets $130M infusion
Local employer part of biggest recent venture capital deal in U.S.
Nishad Majmudar
Staff writer
(July 25, 2006) — A communications company employing more than 200 people in Henrietta received the largest venture capital deal in the United States during April, May and June, according to a report released Monday.
Current Communications received $130 million in later-stage venture funding during the second quarter, the most active venture funding period in more than four years, according to a venture capital report from Ernst & Young and VentureOne.
Current was the top recipient despite a 40 percent drop in venture funding for the overall communications and networking segment in the quarter.
Current, based in Germantown, Md., develops networks that deliver broadband Internet service over power lines. The venture money came from TXU Corp., a Texas utility company that is installing Current's service, and Sensus Metering Systems.
Overall, venture funding in the United States totaled $6.73 billion in 619 deals during the second quarter, the report said. The amount of capital rose 5 percent from the second quarter of last year, and the deal count increased 3 percent.
"A lot of these companies that are getting investment are companies originally founded back in the dot-com bubble and there really haven't been any exit opportunities for them, so they're hanging around," said VentureOne research analyst Josh Grove. "A lot of these companies that have stuck around are good, strong companies that have had to fight through the down years."
The sectors to experience the largest increases in capital flow were the bellwethers of venture funding: information technology and health care.
Alternative energy attracted a record dollar amount. Investors provided $354 million in capital in 25 deals for energy companies, the highest level of investment ever recorded in that sector.
"This quarter's financing activity shows that venture capital investors are oriented toward both providing their existing portfolio companies with the capital needed to exploit market opportunities and funding emerging sectors with exceptional growth potential," said Joseph Muscat, Americas director of Ernst & Young's venture capital advisory group.
The San Francisco Bay Area continued to lead geographic areas in venture funding, with 207 deals and $2.42 billion invested in the past quarter.
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Telkonet Sells Telkonet iWire System(TM) To US Utility for Substation Automation and Monitoring
Monday July 24, 9:00 am ET
GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 2006--Telkonet, Inc. (AMEX:TKO - News):
Pilot Program Results in Sale
Telkonet iWire System Works in DC Environment in Addition to AC
Global Spending on Substation Automation $500 Million Annually,
Market Potential $40 Billion
Telkonet, Inc. (AMEX:TKO - News), the leader in providing in-building broadband access over existing electrical wiring, today announced that it has sold the Telkonet iWire System to a major US utility as the result of a successful early completion of a pilot project for substation automation and monitoring.
Ron Pickett, President and CEO of Telkonet, said, "This initial sale marks the opening of an entirely new market for Telkonet, and for our newly launched Telkonet Energy Services (TES) division. Our Telkonet iWire System not only can provide Internet access over powerlines to hotels and multi-dwelling residences, but it is so robust that it can also provide energy data, energy management and energy market participation abilities to residential, commercial and power generating properties nationwide. This first sale proves the value of our Telkonet iWire System to utilities around the world."
He added, "The average substation tends to be small with ten to twenty endpoints. However, there are some 70,000 substations in North America alone. We believe, therefore, that revenues from this market will be generated in the future from numerous individual locations."
The sale stemmed from an introduction a marketing partner of Telkonet's made on the Company's behalf to the utility. Recently, the utility took delivery of the Telkonet iWire System for a live test under the terms of a one-month trial agreement. The utility opted to purchase the system before the trial agreement expired.
During the testing, Telkonet proved that the Telkonet iWire System operates in a direct current environment as well as the alternating current environment, where customers have previously deployed it. This capability means that the system could have additional applications.
Newton-Evans Research Company estimates the current annual global spending for substation automation and integration programs at about $550-600 million, with an overall potential market size of nearly $40 billion. The Newton-Evans year-end 2005 study has found that 76% of the North American utility respondents indicated having a substation automation and integration strategy in place.
Pickett concluded, "Over the past twelve months, Telkonet has been and continues to be engaged in numerous pilot projects of this nature in such fields as residential and commercial real estate power management, cable TV, homeland security, and defense contractors among others. As these projects come to fruition and as orders stemming from them arrive, we expect to continue to make announcements."
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 2006--Telkonet, Inc. (AMEX:TKO - News):
Pilot Program Results in Sale
Telkonet iWire System Works in DC Environment in Addition to AC
Global Spending on Substation Automation $500 Million Annually,
Market Potential $40 Billion
Telkonet, Inc. (AMEX:TKO - News), the leader in providing in-building broadband access over existing electrical wiring, today announced that it has sold the Telkonet iWire System to a major US utility as the result of a successful early completion of a pilot project for substation automation and monitoring.
Ron Pickett, President and CEO of Telkonet, said, "This initial sale marks the opening of an entirely new market for Telkonet, and for our newly launched Telkonet Energy Services (TES) division. Our Telkonet iWire System not only can provide Internet access over powerlines to hotels and multi-dwelling residences, but it is so robust that it can also provide energy data, energy management and energy market participation abilities to residential, commercial and power generating properties nationwide. This first sale proves the value of our Telkonet iWire System to utilities around the world."
He added, "The average substation tends to be small with ten to twenty endpoints. However, there are some 70,000 substations in North America alone. We believe, therefore, that revenues from this market will be generated in the future from numerous individual locations."
The sale stemmed from an introduction a marketing partner of Telkonet's made on the Company's behalf to the utility. Recently, the utility took delivery of the Telkonet iWire System for a live test under the terms of a one-month trial agreement. The utility opted to purchase the system before the trial agreement expired.
During the testing, Telkonet proved that the Telkonet iWire System operates in a direct current environment as well as the alternating current environment, where customers have previously deployed it. This capability means that the system could have additional applications.
Newton-Evans Research Company estimates the current annual global spending for substation automation and integration programs at about $550-600 million, with an overall potential market size of nearly $40 billion. The Newton-Evans year-end 2005 study has found that 76% of the North American utility respondents indicated having a substation automation and integration strategy in place.
Pickett concluded, "Over the past twelve months, Telkonet has been and continues to be engaged in numerous pilot projects of this nature in such fields as residential and commercial real estate power management, cable TV, homeland security, and defense contractors among others. As these projects come to fruition and as orders stemming from them arrive, we expect to continue to make announcements."
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Trimax Announces Financing Commitment of Up to $3.0 Million
Tuesday July 25, 7:00 am ET
Group Holds First Right to Lead Secondary $10 to $15 Million Round of Financing
TORONTO--(MARKET WIRE)--Jul 25, 2006 -- Trimax Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Multi-Source, Inc. (MSI), and PLC Network Solutions, Inc. (PLC) (OTC BB:TMXO.OB - News), a leading provider of Broadband over Powerline (BPL) communication technologies, is pleased to announce that further to the financing reported in its May 31, 10QSB, it has secured a private placement financing from a private non U.S. accredited group of investors.
The commitment of $1,500,000 US is drawn down in $300K tranches at Trimax's option and matures May 14, 2009 at an annual interest rate of 12%. At the investor's option, the loan is convertible to common shares at the prior 20 day average price. Each common share has one purchase warrant attached, with each warrant exercisable for one common share at $1.25 until May 14, 2009.
The investor has a right of first refusal regarding Trimax's next round of financing which the company is presently in discussions with. Trimax is positioning this financing with a new banking credit facility. Complete details of the financing will be disclosed in SEC Filings.
Proceeds from the private placement provide Trimax with additional financial resources to capitalize on its acquisitions, contracts and partnership opportunities it has closed or been cultivating in recent months.
Derek Pepler, President of Trimax/MSI/PLC, stated: "Our hard work is paying off and this funding will help us upgrade our recent 4600 hotel room acquisition and close on a number of significant contracts in North and South America. With our similar philosophies and vision and complementary expertise and technologies, the combined operations of MSI and PLC have laid a seamless foundation to take advantage of future growth in the BPL sector. We are confident that this foundation of expertise and best of breed technology will combine to deliver outstanding results to our shareholders."
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Group Holds First Right to Lead Secondary $10 to $15 Million Round of Financing
TORONTO--(MARKET WIRE)--Jul 25, 2006 -- Trimax Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Multi-Source, Inc. (MSI), and PLC Network Solutions, Inc. (PLC) (OTC BB:TMXO.OB - News), a leading provider of Broadband over Powerline (BPL) communication technologies, is pleased to announce that further to the financing reported in its May 31, 10QSB, it has secured a private placement financing from a private non U.S. accredited group of investors.
The commitment of $1,500,000 US is drawn down in $300K tranches at Trimax's option and matures May 14, 2009 at an annual interest rate of 12%. At the investor's option, the loan is convertible to common shares at the prior 20 day average price. Each common share has one purchase warrant attached, with each warrant exercisable for one common share at $1.25 until May 14, 2009.
The investor has a right of first refusal regarding Trimax's next round of financing which the company is presently in discussions with. Trimax is positioning this financing with a new banking credit facility. Complete details of the financing will be disclosed in SEC Filings.
Proceeds from the private placement provide Trimax with additional financial resources to capitalize on its acquisitions, contracts and partnership opportunities it has closed or been cultivating in recent months.
Derek Pepler, President of Trimax/MSI/PLC, stated: "Our hard work is paying off and this funding will help us upgrade our recent 4600 hotel room acquisition and close on a number of significant contracts in North and South America. With our similar philosophies and vision and complementary expertise and technologies, the combined operations of MSI and PLC have laid a seamless foundation to take advantage of future growth in the BPL sector. We are confident that this foundation of expertise and best of breed technology will combine to deliver outstanding results to our shareholders."
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
IQPC`s 3rd BROADBAND over POWERLINE Conference 2006 in the United States
Unleashing the full potential of Broadband Over Powerline for your business: core applications, commercialized broadband and the logistics of a large-scale deployment
July 25 - 26, 2006 · Hilton Garden Inn, Dallas, TX
2 site visits:
CenterPoint Energy, Houston &
CURRENT's BPL Demo House, Dallas !!!!
IQPC's 3rd annual Broadband Over Powerline conference in the US
=====================================
Broadband Power Line 2006
September 17-20, 2006
Omni Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
=======================
Special Address – Investors’ Perspective
For a broader view, we’ve invited a leading Wall Street BPL analyst to discuss what Wall Street and shareholders expect when it comes to BPL and utilities..
Judy Warrick
Senior Advisor, Morgan Stanley **INVITED
=======================
Sept. 18, 2006
8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Broadband Power Line 2006
Demo Hall Open
See it live! This is a chance to see what all the BPL vendors on the floor have to offer. Sprinkled throughout the day will be 10 minute presentations by each of the vendors on the floor highlighting their products and services – what they have available now and what they have plans to include. What better way to prepare for Tuesday’s educational program than to see where the industry is headed based on what the industries vendors have available?
12:30-1:30 p.m. Networking Lunch in the Demo Hall
2:00-5:00 p.m. BPL Site Visit – Duke Power
Duke is one of the largest and oldest BPL deployments in the country. Their deployment includes several vendors’ equipment as part of the demonstration. They are deploying BPL for a variety of commercial and utility applications, and have a team of personnel devoted to implementing BPL throughout the company’s operations. This site visit truly will offer a different take on BPL than any other tour you might have taken before.
*NOTE: The first group of buses will leave promptly at 2:00 p.m. from the Omni Charlotte. The remaining site visit groups will be staggered. Once you complete your registration, site visit times will be set up.
UPLC Broadband Power Line 2006
read: Previous articles:
DUKE ENERGY selects AMBIENT/DS2 G2 200Mbps BPL gears in N. Carolina !!!
DS2 BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Ambient Corp. is the Platinum Premier Event Sponsor !!!!!!
Ambient Corp. BROADBAND over POWER LINES new 200 Mbps Technology gear based on DS2 CHIPSETS !!!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
ARIZONA: Surprise to test broadband Internet service over power lines
Erin Zlomek
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 19, 2006 12:00 AM
No modems, no dial-up, no cables.
Instead, some Surprise residents may soon get Internet service through a traditional two-pronged power outlet.
In addition to adding wireless Internet portals throughout the city, Surprise is negotiating with Mountain Telecommunications Inc. and Arizona Public Service Co. to provide a relatively new Internet technology: broadband over power lines, or BPL, for residents in the Original Townsite.
The City Council is expected to consider the pilot project by December.
The technology hit the commercial Internet market in 2001 and has the potential to provide Internet service faster, with fewer complications and at a lower cost to Surprise homes, said Randy Jackson, Surprise's chief information officer.
BPL is already popular in Europe and Japan. Jackson said the city of Manassas, Va., currently is the only U.S. city to offer BPL to its residents - and by his reckoning, Surprise may be the second.
The city estimates that only 25 percent of Surprise homes have high-speed Internet service, though a higher percentage of homes have computers. City officials project that with BPL, anyone who has a computer soon will have Internet service as well. Attaching a special box to existing power poles enables the technology to work. The service sends broadband signals over power lines, rather than telephone dial-up or high-speed cable connections provided by Qwest or Cox Communications.
With BPL, a small converter box is put on a computer's plug, and voila - Internet connectivity. As long as the computer is plugged into a wall socket, the Worldwide Web is at the user's fingertips.
The city estimates that Cox controls about 30 percent of the Internet market in Surprise. Jackson considers that control a "quasi-monopoly." He said he hopes the introduction of two new Internet service options, BPL and WiFi, will drive down current Internet service prices.
In Japan, users pay about $9 or $10 a month for high-speed Internet service. In this country, they pay $40 to $50 a month on average, and a working family might not want to pay that, Jackson said.
Surprise is still smoothing out its pilot project with Tempe-based MTI and APS. Once a deal is finalized, the plan will go to the City Council for consideration. If the council approves, MTI and APS will provide BPL service to Surprise's Original Townsite, the square mile bounded by Bell, Dysart, Greenway and El Mirage roads.
The Original Townsite is the city's most underserved area in terms of Internet service, Jackson said. The trial run would provide service to 984 homes in the Original Townsite.
During BPL's trial run, WiFi providers will be prohibited from penetrating the Original Townsite, so that BPL has no competition outside of Cox and Qwest, and is given a chance to get off the ground. Should the trial be successful, the council would be asked to expand BPL service to other areas.
In its negotiations with MTI, the city is asking the company to provide all residents, regardless of whether or not they pay for Internet service, free access to Dysart.org, a school district Web site, and Surpriseaz.com, the city's Web site. If the deal goes as planned, within a few years, parents with a computer could check their children's academic progress on the Dysart Unified School District's Web page.
Although Jackson said he believes that BPL will offer tremendous benefits, the technology is far from flawless.
A BPL test site in Cottonwood disrupted amateur radio signals. Now, developers believe they have solved the problem. In areas where power lines run underground, installing BPL boxes becomes more costly. Surprise budgeted $40,000 to pay for its first year of BPL service.
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 19, 2006 12:00 AM
No modems, no dial-up, no cables.
Instead, some Surprise residents may soon get Internet service through a traditional two-pronged power outlet.
In addition to adding wireless Internet portals throughout the city, Surprise is negotiating with Mountain Telecommunications Inc. and Arizona Public Service Co. to provide a relatively new Internet technology: broadband over power lines, or BPL, for residents in the Original Townsite.
The City Council is expected to consider the pilot project by December.
The technology hit the commercial Internet market in 2001 and has the potential to provide Internet service faster, with fewer complications and at a lower cost to Surprise homes, said Randy Jackson, Surprise's chief information officer.
BPL is already popular in Europe and Japan. Jackson said the city of Manassas, Va., currently is the only U.S. city to offer BPL to its residents - and by his reckoning, Surprise may be the second.
The city estimates that only 25 percent of Surprise homes have high-speed Internet service, though a higher percentage of homes have computers. City officials project that with BPL, anyone who has a computer soon will have Internet service as well. Attaching a special box to existing power poles enables the technology to work. The service sends broadband signals over power lines, rather than telephone dial-up or high-speed cable connections provided by Qwest or Cox Communications.
With BPL, a small converter box is put on a computer's plug, and voila - Internet connectivity. As long as the computer is plugged into a wall socket, the Worldwide Web is at the user's fingertips.
The city estimates that Cox controls about 30 percent of the Internet market in Surprise. Jackson considers that control a "quasi-monopoly." He said he hopes the introduction of two new Internet service options, BPL and WiFi, will drive down current Internet service prices.
In Japan, users pay about $9 or $10 a month for high-speed Internet service. In this country, they pay $40 to $50 a month on average, and a working family might not want to pay that, Jackson said.
Surprise is still smoothing out its pilot project with Tempe-based MTI and APS. Once a deal is finalized, the plan will go to the City Council for consideration. If the council approves, MTI and APS will provide BPL service to Surprise's Original Townsite, the square mile bounded by Bell, Dysart, Greenway and El Mirage roads.
The Original Townsite is the city's most underserved area in terms of Internet service, Jackson said. The trial run would provide service to 984 homes in the Original Townsite.
During BPL's trial run, WiFi providers will be prohibited from penetrating the Original Townsite, so that BPL has no competition outside of Cox and Qwest, and is given a chance to get off the ground. Should the trial be successful, the council would be asked to expand BPL service to other areas.
In its negotiations with MTI, the city is asking the company to provide all residents, regardless of whether or not they pay for Internet service, free access to Dysart.org, a school district Web site, and Surpriseaz.com, the city's Web site. If the deal goes as planned, within a few years, parents with a computer could check their children's academic progress on the Dysart Unified School District's Web page.
Although Jackson said he believes that BPL will offer tremendous benefits, the technology is far from flawless.
A BPL test site in Cottonwood disrupted amateur radio signals. Now, developers believe they have solved the problem. In areas where power lines run underground, installing BPL boxes becomes more costly. Surprise budgeted $40,000 to pay for its first year of BPL service.
---
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Australia: Smart meters could become a $2 billion industry over the next few years, says Catherine Zoi, executive director of meter maker Bayard
Smart meter charge jolt
Chris Jenkins
JULY 18, 2006
NSW power utility Energy Australia is planning to test a new breed of advanced electricity meter with 10,000 customers as it moves to install a half-million so-called smart meters over the next two years.
The company expects to spend about $100 million on smart meter systems up to the end of the current electricity pricing regulation period, in 2009.
The new meters will enable the company to send data back and forth between the meter and its own systems, and possibly pave the way for the introduction of plug-and-play smart appliances that can be remotely switched off during peak demand periods to minimise power use.
To transmit the data, the advanced metering trial will also test several communications systems, including cellular wireless and broadband over powerline.
In contrast to the century-old mechanical meters, smart meters record not only the amount of electricity used, but also the time at which it is used, opening the door for time-of-use pricing that varies pricing across peak and non-peak periods in a way similar to long-distance phone charges.
"The fact that we're able to get 30-minute interval data means customers will be able to have tailor-made pricing," Energy Australia managing director George Maltabarow said.
"It will revolutionise our ability to service our customers."
By establishing a data link with the meter, the company will eventually be able to make service changes as customers ask for them. "We'll be able to do a lot of on-demand services," Mr Maltabarow said.
Energy Australia has 260,000 customers using smart meters at present, with 50,000 customers on time-of-use tariff plans.
However, current smart meters lack the communications functions that will feature in the new units being trialled.
The advanced meter trial will commence at the end of this year, with 10,000 users scheduled to be testing the new meters by the end of the current financial year.
Energy Australia's plans add to a growing list of smart meter projects around the country, with utilities such as Country Energy being among the early adopters.
Over the past few years, the issue has been taken up by the Council of Australian Governments as part of plans for a national retail energy market.
A letter from Prime Minister John Howard to the council last week again pushed development of the technology. Also last week, Victorian Deputy Premier John Thwaites announced that households and small businesses in the state would receive smart meters from 2008 in a project reportedly worth $730 million.
A 1000-user trial for the project is scheduled to take place at the end of the year.
Cost savings are used to sell the technology to the electricity-using public, and Energy Australia says its own studies show cost savings of 10 per cent to 30 per cent, but for the power utilities, the main driver of smart meters is to improve demand management, smoothing out peaks and reducing the need for expensive infrastructure such as power stations.
By cutting peak demand, smart meters are also expected to be useful in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
According to Energy Australia, smart meter technology shifts about 5 per cent of peak demand to other times.
Power companies say the smart meters are as much about shaping consumer behaviour as they are about new technology.
Energy Australia is the middle of a strategic pricing study, in which 1300 users are using smart meters with an inbuilt display.
The test is to work with "peak dynamic pricing events" that bump normal charges of about 8c to 9c per KW/h to up to $2 per KW/h for a few hours.
There are 12 such pricing events scheduled over the course of the trial, with pricing spikes timed to coincide with predicted real demand peaks.
Users are given up to 24 hours notice of an impending price spike, and can select notification methods including phone calls, SMS and email.
The trial began in March and is scheduled to run for two years. The meters also provide a vital window on customer usage patterns. "Ninety per cent of the benefit comes from the meter's ability to measure and record things," Mr Maltabarow said.
Data collected by the new breed of meters can be used to examine customer use characteristics and tailor services and tariffs accordingly, executive director of meter manufacturer Bayard Catherine Zoi said.
"In the competitive retail market, they can look at which customers they really want to go after," she said.
Utilities can also use the system to control power-hungry devices such as air-conditioners and pool filters, switching them on and off to cut usage in peak price periods, paying consumers incentives for consenting to hand over control.
"That's certainly in widespread use in lots of states in America, with lots of happy customers," she said.
Smart meters with communications built in also make remote meter reading possible, as well as other network monitoring functions, she said.
Australia-wide, smart meters were likely to become a $2 billion industry over the next few years, but savings of up to $3 billion could be realised by the energy industry, Ms Zoi said.
In Queensland, the Department of Energy has been talking to both Energex and Ergon Energy about a targeted introduction of smart meters.
Energex has between 20,000 and 30,000 smart meters installed at customer sites across two Brisbane suburbs as part of a trial, but the use of the technology in the state is still being evaluated.
Western Australia has decided that all new domestic-grade power supplies must use smart meters capable of time-of-use pricing, although these would continue to be manually read, Western Power metering services manager Andrew Wood said.
"We will have 20 per cent of our single-phase meters changed by 2008. This will be equivalent to about 100,000 customers," Mr Wood said.
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
South Africa: 30 Mbps Broadband over Power Lines Deployed- IPTV next !!!
Powerline Deployed in South Africa And Uganda - IP-TV Trial This Autumn
Balancing Act (London)
NEWS
July 17, 2006
Posted to the web July 17, 2006
By Russell Southwood
London
Powerline technology has always seemed to promise much but never seem to quite come to the boil. But Goal Technology Solutions (known as GTS) has rolled out operational 30 meg connections in South Africa and is currently deploying in Uganda for UTL. And come October this year it will be trialling IP-TV. Russell Southwood spoke to its CEO Adrian Maguire about why it had succeeded where others have failed.
GTS is a spin-off of the Power Line Communications division of Grintek Telecom. The GTS team worked for Grintek in this division for two years before setting up GTS in September 2004. Adrian Maguire, CEO, GTS is very honest about the early years:"The first two years we had relatively little success. We went through a number of suppliers who worked not quite well enough for commercial deployment and there were issues of cost." But it is now the only integrator and value added reseller appointed by Mitsubishi Electric for the SADC region for its PLC technology. Maguire told us:"It's DS2 technology but we've done quite a bit of local development. These are small tweaks to get reliability. And with that, it's now gone over the curve of let's see if it works."
It went live with its first application in November 2005 with 130 houses in Pretoria. According to Maguire:"We were trialling second generation powerline technology and it was our first large-scale trial. The customer (Tshwane Municipality) wanted 4-6 meg per home but we were able to deliver a 30 meg connection per house." The company is focused on providing "last-mile" solutions.
It has worked hard on the applications that can be delivered using the technology so that it does what it's supposed to do. It has run voice and Internet, installed high-quality security cameras and deployed water meter reading devices. Maguire says:"The reliability is such that we don't have to keep going back." It will conduct its first IP-TV broadcast in October this year.
It has two further roll-outs under way: one in Durban and the other in Uganda. Durban Municipality has given GTS two "real-world" pilots to cut their teeth on: a school and two houses on a street some distance the mini sub-station. The Uganda deployment for a number of UTL office buildings in Kampala. In addition it will be rolling out soon to a number of security estates in South Africa. It is also looking at other African countries including DRC and Rwanda.
One of the key problems the technology had to solve was interference from local "noise". According to Maguire:"Every time an electric tool or washing machine gets switched on, it generates noise. This newer technology waits for noise to reduce after the appliance's motor starts. It samples the network 1500 times a second. Once the noise stabilises, we move the signal back again so it makes allowances for this kind of interference."
What about costs? The connection to the customer is made using the equivalent of an ADSL modem that delivers a connection of between 6-200 meg. The CPE and network for the user costs US$280 or US$321 with a built-in VoIP codec. Maguire is keen to stress that it's not necessarily the cheapest technology "but it can deliver better quality and higher capacity." Will prices come down?"Equipment prices have dropped 35% since the beginning of 2005 and will continue to drop as the technology gains wider acceptance."
Meanwhile Cactel Communications in collaboration with the University of Ghana, Legon, has launched a high speed broadband internet, telephony and wireless (wi-fi) communications pilot that harnesses the electricity distribution network to provide mile connectivity to the student and staff population at the main University campus, Legon.
It has provided 16 users with Powerline Communications (PLC) access to these telecommunication services across three sites on the Legon Campus. The demonstration will run for 3 months. The PLC network which is based on the university's existing electricity network has linked the International Students Hostel, the ICT Directorate and the Registry with a high-speed broadband network, telephony and multimedia services such as video on demand and remote video surveillance via CCTV.
Cactel's network also demonstrates the interoperability between PLC, Fibre and Wireless networks. Cactel has provided a PLC wi-fi hotspot in and around the ICT Directorate building available to anyone with a wireless-enabled laptop. Cactel's PLC technology is based on the pioneering technology developed by DS2 of Spain, which provides up to 200mbps of data transfer along existing electricity infrastructure. Tecnocom, a global systems integration company, worked with Cactel in deploying this pilot project at the university.
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Broadband comes of age in India
"To overcome the many hurdles, the best strategy for spreading broadband is probably to make use of India’s available infrastructure. It needs to be done not only through telephone lines but also through power lines. The electric line will become the most obvious choice for spreading broadband since it is far more widespread and touches many homes.
On the future of broadband Vinnie Mehta has this to say, “The Indian market seems very attractive, but at the same time there are various issues that are yet to be resolved. There are a number of last mile infrastructure problems, and lack of content and applications, both of which are critical for the success of broadband in India. But I am sure we will find a way to overcome all the hurdles and build a well-connected country through broadband.”
Read more:
Broadband comes of age in India
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Australia: Broadband challenge reveals peculiarities of the information superhighway
Stephen Bartholomeusz
July 12, 2006
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"Telecom networks aren't like gas or electricity networks. As yet no one has found a more efficient way to distribute gas or electricity than using pipes and wires.
A FTTN network could be rendered obsolete almost by the time it was built, at a cost of $3 billion to $4 billion, by other technologies — wireless broadband or power lines, for instance. "
Monday, July 10, 2006
Powerline adaptors- ONE SOLUTION for a Secured Network
Use built-in security features for safer wireless networks: experts
By Johnson Choo, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : While Singapore is planning on rolling out a nationwide wireless network, the concept of wireless Internet access is not new for many.
But industry players say many wireless networks are not properly set up, and as a result, security may be compromised.
Setting up a broadband router or modem is really simple: plug a phone line, or cable connection into the device, and you are ready to surf.
While this makes Internet access convenient, it is a threat to data security.
Experts say users should utilise the security features available on wireless routers to prevent unauthorised access.
The most common method is the use of an encryption key; you key in a password that will scramble your data.
But a good hacker may still be able to hack into your network.
Professionals prefer to use MAC address filtering, in which the unique physical ID number of each wireless device is entered into the system.
MAC addresses are usually found on the device itself.
Said Justin Chiah, product marketing director at Aztech, "With MAC address filtering, only the address that is associated can access the wireless network. Nobody else actually access your network this way."
However, there is a limit to using wireless routers in a building.
Structures like pillars and walls in the house will affect how the wifi network will work.
As you move from room to room, you will get a weakened or intermittent signal.
One solution is to use devices called powerline adaptors.
Instead of laying expensive fibre optic cables around the house, a pair of these adaptors will convert the power grid into a secure wired network.
Said Mr Chiah, "The power grid within the house provides you the transmission medium as well as the power source. But the actual connection from the PC to the power adaptor is through an ethernet cable, so that ensures that there's no power going through all the way to your PC."
These adaptors also come with a wireless option, so every power socket in the house can be converted into a wireless access point.
This wireless extension plug is really convenient to use, but it will only be available in stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong from August. - CNA /ct
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
By Johnson Choo, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : While Singapore is planning on rolling out a nationwide wireless network, the concept of wireless Internet access is not new for many.
But industry players say many wireless networks are not properly set up, and as a result, security may be compromised.
Setting up a broadband router or modem is really simple: plug a phone line, or cable connection into the device, and you are ready to surf.
While this makes Internet access convenient, it is a threat to data security.
Experts say users should utilise the security features available on wireless routers to prevent unauthorised access.
The most common method is the use of an encryption key; you key in a password that will scramble your data.
But a good hacker may still be able to hack into your network.
Professionals prefer to use MAC address filtering, in which the unique physical ID number of each wireless device is entered into the system.
MAC addresses are usually found on the device itself.
Said Justin Chiah, product marketing director at Aztech, "With MAC address filtering, only the address that is associated can access the wireless network. Nobody else actually access your network this way."
However, there is a limit to using wireless routers in a building.
Structures like pillars and walls in the house will affect how the wifi network will work.
As you move from room to room, you will get a weakened or intermittent signal.
One solution is to use devices called powerline adaptors.
Instead of laying expensive fibre optic cables around the house, a pair of these adaptors will convert the power grid into a secure wired network.
Said Mr Chiah, "The power grid within the house provides you the transmission medium as well as the power source. But the actual connection from the PC to the power adaptor is through an ethernet cable, so that ensures that there's no power going through all the way to your PC."
These adaptors also come with a wireless option, so every power socket in the house can be converted into a wireless access point.
This wireless extension plug is really convenient to use, but it will only be available in stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong from August. - CNA /ct
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Google's Major Investments Hint Search Giant Might Become ISP
BY BRIAN DEAGON
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 7/7/2006
One day you might be able to tell your phone or cable company to cancel all services because you have a new provider — Google. (GOOG)
Some observers are looking at Google's investments and the fast-changing market and saying they add up to a company that could become a provider of Internet services, including phone.
Doing so would let Google supplement its ad-based search revenue business by also collecting user fees for those services, potentially creating a huge new round of growth for the Internet star.
"It's now totally accurate to say Google could become a phone company," said Ken Rutkowski, a technology consultant who also broadcasts his KenRadio tech show over the Internet.
Google says little about its plans. But here are some of items considered by Rutkowski and others:
• Google has over recent years quietly purchased enough dark, or unused, fiber-optic cable — used to provide high-end broadband — to cover the U.S.
• It's teamed with EarthLink (ELNK) to provide Wi-Fi wireless high-speed Internet services in San Francisco and nearby Mountain View, Calif., where Google is based.
• Last July, it bought a stake in Current Communications, which aims to deliver broadband over electrical power lines.
• In February, it bought a stake in Fon, a firm with technology that Fon says expands Wi-Fi's reach.
more...
Read previous article:
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!: Google, GS, SENSUS,TXU, GE, EarthLink put $230M in Current Communications ~ 10 Mbps Symmetrical speed Broadband over Power Lines Internet service !!!
Friday, July 07, 2006
Voice of the people: Send broadband over power lines
The state of California Public Utility Commission recently approved Internet broadband high speed over the power lines to make sure all their rural citizens and rural businesses have access to broadband.
If West Virginia is really serious about providing broadband to all our citizens and businesses in all areas of the great state, this could be another way to help all areas of West Virginia have a chance for the future.
I am just guessing, but I would think every home and business in West Virginia has a power line. And if that is true, why not allow our rural businesses and rural citizens to have access to Internet high-speed broadband at an affordable price that our businesses and citizens can afford?
Gary Collins
Glenville, W.Va.
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
MILAN, ITALY: ASM Brescia to offer internet, telecom services via its electricity lines
07.07.2006, 09:13 AM
MILAN (AFX) - ASM Brescia SpA said it will offer broadband internet and other telecom services over its electricity lines, instead of traditional telecom lines.
The company said this is the first commercial service in Italy using the power line communication (PLC) technology, and follows two years of tests.
ASM's unit Selene is investing 8 mln eur in rolling out the PLC service across the city of Brescia, in the north of Italy, it said.
The initial offering includes internet of up to 10 megabit per second, while later phone, videocommunication and interactive TV will be added, it said.
The PLC technology offers an alternative to unbundling Telecom Italia SpA's local loop for the last mile to the customer, used by other providers, it said.
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
USDA: BROADBAND: A bridge of opportunity
July 06, 2006 05:30 pm
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
USDA is committed to equipping rural America with tools to remain vibrant and competitive. One of the ways we do this is through our broadband program. Broadband is as fundamental to the future of rural communities as railroads were in the 19th century and highways were in the 20th century. It is a window to the world, eroding barriers of time and distance, giving rural and small town businesses access to worldwide markets.
Broadband levels the playing field and allows individuals to live locally while competing globally. With broadband, smaller communities are more competitive economically than they have been in previous years. For these reasons, President Bush has established a national goal of ensuring every American has access to broadband service by 2007.
The Rural Development Broadband Program is new. Authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill, it began operation in 2003 and has already provided access to over 1.5 million rural homes and businesses. In FY 2006, an additional $900 million is available for rural broadband projects. Recognizing that every community is unique — one size does not fit all — the program is technology neutral. In its first three years, the broadband program has already approved applications involving digital subscriber lines (DSL), hybrid fiber coax, fiber to the home, wireless broadband, and broadband over power lines. The list will grow as broadband technology continues to evolve.
The program offers both loans and grants. Broadband loans are designed to provide access to rural residents and businesses on a normal commercial basis. These are complemented by the Community Connect, Distance Learning, and Telemedicine Programs, which provide grant assistance to install critical community facilities.
Bringing broadband services to rural areas does present special challenges. Due to low population density, the cost of service is, on average, three times higher for rural customers. Availability and affordability cannot be separated.
These problems can be overcome, but with millions of taxpayers’ dollars at stake, USDA Rural Development has a responsibility to ensure the taxpayers and local residents are not saddled with bad loans. In West Virginia, call toll free 1-800-295-8228.
Thomas Dorr,
Under Secretary for Rural Development
U.S. Department of Agriculture
===
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
USDA is committed to equipping rural America with tools to remain vibrant and competitive. One of the ways we do this is through our broadband program. Broadband is as fundamental to the future of rural communities as railroads were in the 19th century and highways were in the 20th century. It is a window to the world, eroding barriers of time and distance, giving rural and small town businesses access to worldwide markets.
Broadband levels the playing field and allows individuals to live locally while competing globally. With broadband, smaller communities are more competitive economically than they have been in previous years. For these reasons, President Bush has established a national goal of ensuring every American has access to broadband service by 2007.
The Rural Development Broadband Program is new. Authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill, it began operation in 2003 and has already provided access to over 1.5 million rural homes and businesses. In FY 2006, an additional $900 million is available for rural broadband projects. Recognizing that every community is unique — one size does not fit all — the program is technology neutral. In its first three years, the broadband program has already approved applications involving digital subscriber lines (DSL), hybrid fiber coax, fiber to the home, wireless broadband, and broadband over power lines. The list will grow as broadband technology continues to evolve.
The program offers both loans and grants. Broadband loans are designed to provide access to rural residents and businesses on a normal commercial basis. These are complemented by the Community Connect, Distance Learning, and Telemedicine Programs, which provide grant assistance to install critical community facilities.
Bringing broadband services to rural areas does present special challenges. Due to low population density, the cost of service is, on average, three times higher for rural customers. Availability and affordability cannot be separated.
These problems can be overcome, but with millions of taxpayers’ dollars at stake, USDA Rural Development has a responsibility to ensure the taxpayers and local residents are not saddled with bad loans. In West Virginia, call toll free 1-800-295-8228.
Thomas Dorr,
Under Secretary for Rural Development
U.S. Department of Agriculture
===
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
South Africa: Broadband over Power Lines here soon and much cheaper than ADSL
By MyADSL, 6 July 2006
Goal Technology Solutions (GTS) are ready to roll out their commercial Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) services in Tshwane, and will undercut the current ADSL prices by a significant margin.
GTS has finalized their BPL trials in the Tshwane region and said that the results were excellent. They are now ready to roll out commercial services to residential users utilizing the current power grid as an access medium to consumer’s homes.
The new service will initially be available in the Tshwane suburbs of Alfen Park, Menlyn Retail Centre, Moreleta Park, Monument Park, Woodhill, Mooikloof and Garsfontein. While GTS is currently focusing on Tshwane, they are also working with other municipalities on possible similar projects.
The initial offering which will be launched by GTS will be a DSL 512 equivalent service with a 5 GB usage allowance at an all inclusive cost of R 479-00 (R 420-00 ex VAT). This is significantly cheaper than the comparable ADSL offering which will cost users just over R 700-00. Higher cap services will be available for GTS’s BPL products, with a favorable sliding scale pricing structure for high-cap account.
Users who are interested in telephony services on top of their broadband offering will also be able to purchase this service from GPS. The basic monthly telephony cost will be just under R 100-00, while the call costs will be on average around 15% cheaper than Telkom rates. But on international and long distance calls the savings can be as high as 40%.
The future
This is however only the beginning. GPS said that they will launch ‘true broadband’ offerings in November this year where users can expect speeds far exceeding 1 Mbps. Currently speeds of up to 6 Mbps are realistic when using BPL.
The launch of these high speed services will be accompanied by video on demand and video broadcasting services by GOAL who will provide content through strategic partnerships with relevant companies.
Telkom is dragging its feet regarding ADSL and IP-TV leaving a gap in the market for smaller entrepreneurs to fill. Tshwane and GPS are leading the way in providing users with such services, and many other municipalities are following suit.
While Telkom has recently accused municipalities of "premature and opportunistic" behaviour for rolling out telecommunications services in a bid to save costs, it is clear that something needs to be done to provide affordable telecoms and broadband services to South Africans. It is encouraging to see that municipalities, partnering with telecoms companies, are stepping up to do exactly that.
---
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Goal Technology Solutions (GTS) are ready to roll out their commercial Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) services in Tshwane, and will undercut the current ADSL prices by a significant margin.
GTS has finalized their BPL trials in the Tshwane region and said that the results were excellent. They are now ready to roll out commercial services to residential users utilizing the current power grid as an access medium to consumer’s homes.
The new service will initially be available in the Tshwane suburbs of Alfen Park, Menlyn Retail Centre, Moreleta Park, Monument Park, Woodhill, Mooikloof and Garsfontein. While GTS is currently focusing on Tshwane, they are also working with other municipalities on possible similar projects.
The initial offering which will be launched by GTS will be a DSL 512 equivalent service with a 5 GB usage allowance at an all inclusive cost of R 479-00 (R 420-00 ex VAT). This is significantly cheaper than the comparable ADSL offering which will cost users just over R 700-00. Higher cap services will be available for GTS’s BPL products, with a favorable sliding scale pricing structure for high-cap account.
Users who are interested in telephony services on top of their broadband offering will also be able to purchase this service from GPS. The basic monthly telephony cost will be just under R 100-00, while the call costs will be on average around 15% cheaper than Telkom rates. But on international and long distance calls the savings can be as high as 40%.
The future
This is however only the beginning. GPS said that they will launch ‘true broadband’ offerings in November this year where users can expect speeds far exceeding 1 Mbps. Currently speeds of up to 6 Mbps are realistic when using BPL.
The launch of these high speed services will be accompanied by video on demand and video broadcasting services by GOAL who will provide content through strategic partnerships with relevant companies.
Telkom is dragging its feet regarding ADSL and IP-TV leaving a gap in the market for smaller entrepreneurs to fill. Tshwane and GPS are leading the way in providing users with such services, and many other municipalities are following suit.
While Telkom has recently accused municipalities of "premature and opportunistic" behaviour for rolling out telecommunications services in a bid to save costs, it is clear that something needs to be done to provide affordable telecoms and broadband services to South Africans. It is encouraging to see that municipalities, partnering with telecoms companies, are stepping up to do exactly that.
---
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Broadband Over Powerline: An 'electric' new player in the living room wars
Toronto, Canada
MARY KIRWAN
Specia to Globe and Mail Update
POSTED AT 5:16 PM EDT ON 05/07/06
Old monopolistic habits die hard. And no more so than in the hyper-competitive communications sector.
The telcos and cable companies have never warmed up to the idea of competition in their back yards, and they especially dislike each other. But better the devil you know than the upstart you don't.
And with revenue from fixed line phone customers on a rapid decline, the telcos are desperate to increase profitable wireless and high- speed Internet subscriptions, and to muscle in on the burgeoning TV and video on demand business traditionally owned by the cable companies.
So in the midst of the no- holds barred battle, distractions are unwelcome. Hence the reaction from Rogers and Telus here in Canada when Toronto Hydro recently announced it would enter enemy territory and offer wireless Internet access from equipment installed on hydro poles and traffic lights. "It's expensive and hard"… "they are wasting their time," the incumbents railed.
But there is precedence for utilities entering the fray, and in a far more ambitious way than Toronto Hydro currently envisage.
Broadband over Power Line (BPL) technology uses existing electric wires and outlets to provide high-speed Internet access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and video to end customers at competitive prices. It's been around for a while, but the technology and equipment to drive it has only come into its own in the last while.
I spoke with Jim Dondero, vice-president of marketing at U.S.-based Current Communications LLC, a company making serious headway in the BPL marketplace. In 2004, Current partnered with Duke Energy, formerly known as Cinergy, in Cincinnati, Ohio to sell competitively priced broadband services to 50,000 customers, going head to head with DSL and cable access offerings from Cincinnati Bell and Time Warner Cable in the process.
In Texas, Current has partnered with TXU Electric Delivery, a subsidiary of TXU Corp. to service more than two million homes and businesses and provide 'smart grid capabilities to the giant utility.
The large utilities are interested in BPL as it allows them to digitize their stale decades old infrastructure. The 'smart grid' concept also allows them to remotely monitor power lines and identify outages quickly and gather data on customer energy usage patterns. And possibly to save millions of dollars in the process.
But can Current, the new kid on a very tough block, survive the inevitable dust up?
Jim Dondero acknowledged that Current is not the only player in the BPL space, but it has built its own equipment and software, it has substantial IP in the underlying technology, a decent head-start with an installed base, and deep-pocketed investors with an eye to the end game.
"We have much more experience than anyone else and we know how to scale." The big US ISP Earthlink has agreed to become a channel partner- it doesn't own a carrier so it must rely on cable and phone companies- so it is looking at B.P.L. as an alternative channel to market. Dondero also added that the large TXU rollout later this year would prove that the business is viable.
But he maintains that a far more significant differentiator in the David and Goliath battle is that the technology 'just works'. You simply need a special adaptor that plugs into an electric socket in your home or office that you connect to your computer with an Ethernet cable. The adaptor costs about $25 and you can buy extra adapters for about $30.
It will come as music to the ears of folk driven demented by complex cable and DSL installations, to learn that BPL requires no new software, no dreaded installation discs and no extra wires to break your neck over. Once you are plugged in, you are redirected to a log-in page, and Mum's the word - you are good to surf. And several folk in a house can be on the Net at once with no drag on speed. Better still, you can use the system to set up home networks and it works with industry standard WiFi networks.
It seems too good to be true. But existing customers in the Cincinnati region, if an article in the New York Times a while back is anything to go by, seem hugely keen. In fact, their enthusiasm is akin to St Paul's epiphany on the road to Damascus. Once you go BPL, it seems you will never go back. Affordability, ease of use and faster upload speeds are a big draw.
Indeed, according to Jim Dondero, "not all broadband is created equally." BPL offers a two-way symmetric high-speed connection, with an upload speed that Current claims is up to 25 times faster than other high-speed services, and as much as 75 times faster than dial-up - important considerations for customers, as popular video and music files hog bandwidth.
Current is planning to introduce new services, including an Internet phone service later this year. Customers will be able to plug their phones into a BPL adapter instead of a phone jack.
And there is yet more to come, as Current will offer TV and video with a content provider partner in the near future. "We are firm believers in this, and we won't wait," Dondero said.
I quizzed Dondero about possible partners. "We have lots of options, and we are talking to folk." He wasn't telling. But he was willing to say who it wouldn't be: "We certainly won't partner with a cable company or teleco."
But hints at possible alliances can be found by looking at the list of investors who recently added $130-million in funding to Currents' coffers. The money came from existing partners TXU Corp., and EarthLink, but also from General Electric, which owns the TV network, NBC. Other deep pocket investors include partners Duke Energy, Goldman Sachs, Google, and the Hearst Corporation. Indeed, with this investor base, Current has enviable access to some of Hollywood and TV land's biggest movers and shakers.
In fact, Current was founded by Liberty Associated Partners, L.P., an investment fund vehicle partnership between the wealthy Berkman family and media baron John Malone's Liberty Media Corporation.
So can we expect NBC or Hearst, with its many media assets, to deliver a nice content-rich bundle over BPL? Such a move by broadcasters would surely tick off their long- term partners, the cable companies, but they too are mixing it up by making their own content.
The truth is that the Internet has muddied the waters, with mobile TV and Web video also viable channels to market. And the big guns all want a piece. They are also vying to win the living room wars. From the slow-to- react electronics (TV) makers, to software giants like Microsoft, with its PC centric media centre (it wants to embed Windows in everything we hold dear), to the carriers and broadcasters, who depend on ad dollars to deliver content.
But chasing ad dollars, the inimitable Google way, means that the battle will inevitably revolve around content, as the best content drives eyeballs, which in turn attracts advertisers.
So BPL may simply be yet another wild card thrown into an already heady mix.
And it is not all rosy in BPL land, as providers have been besieged with complaints from ham radio operators, who say that BPL interferes with their radio signals. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set guidelines and it seems that there is potential for both to co-exist, but time will tell. Some of the most infamous hackers were ham radio enthusiasts so they are not a crowd to tick off.
The FCC is, however, supportive of BPL as an alternative to the telcos and cable companies that dominate the broadband market in the U.S. There is lots of room for growth in the broadband market both in Canada and in the U.S. — we both respectively ranked 8th and 12th in the broadband stakes worldwide, according to an OECD report in Dec. 2005.
So what are the chances that BPL will emerge as a real player? The telcos and cable companies say 'no way', and indeed they are heavily entrenched, but they fail to recognize that many consumers are still smarting from the numerous indignities we suffered at their hands over the years.
Remember the good old days when getting in a phone or cable meant taking the day off work, sitting on your new IKEA sofa twiddling your thumbs waiting for The Guy to arrive, usually at 4.55 p.m. when you had finally lost all hope. And then to add insult to injury, he would set about ruthlessly wrecking your place with miles of poorly placed and monstrously ugly cables and be on his merry way. And the telcos were no better.
We consumers are rather like elephants and small children; we have long memories and if given real choice, it may be payback time. Making nice to us now hasn't erased the scars.
And regulators also have an axe to grind. They are committed to increasing broadband uptake and in bridging the digital divide that exists in many countries, which has been attributed to the telcos hanging on to the last mile for dear life, and keeping access fees, especially in the EU exorbitantly high. This is the primary reason that cities and municipalities around the world are looking to introduce free WiFi to citizens, to work around the problem.
In fact, after successful trials, BPL is the third broadband access system available in Spain, and it is hoped it will eventually be offered throughout the country. Other countries are taking a close look as well. Trials in Quebec and Sault St Marie have taken place, but it is unclear what the future holds for BPL in Canada.
Where does security fit into the picture?
Utilities are generally considered pretty hopeless on the data security front, as traditionally they did not have to care, as critical assets were isolated. That is no longer the case as IP connections are rife, so utilities and BPL providers will have to carefully manage the security risk.
But the telcos are no strangers to data loss and theft, and content providers, with the Sony rootkit example, have shown us that they too can turn a good thing bad, by shipping malicious code on CDs to one and all to protect content. Let he who is blameless throw the first security stone.
One thing is clear, we've gamely put up with lousy software for too long, as we know no better - unless you own a MAC - but some things are sacred, and when it comes to TV, there is a implicit 'zero tolerance' rule.
If the TV crashes, or it gets too smart or weird on us, we will cry blue murder. This is an especially hostile environment for the software guys, to whom consumers are a terrifying alien species. It may be the rock on which they perish.
So if BPL is truly plug and play, rather than plug and pray, as well as cheap, fast and content rich, it may be the dawn of a new era.
Bring it on.
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
MARY KIRWAN
Specia to Globe and Mail Update
POSTED AT 5:16 PM EDT ON 05/07/06
Old monopolistic habits die hard. And no more so than in the hyper-competitive communications sector.
The telcos and cable companies have never warmed up to the idea of competition in their back yards, and they especially dislike each other. But better the devil you know than the upstart you don't.
And with revenue from fixed line phone customers on a rapid decline, the telcos are desperate to increase profitable wireless and high- speed Internet subscriptions, and to muscle in on the burgeoning TV and video on demand business traditionally owned by the cable companies.
So in the midst of the no- holds barred battle, distractions are unwelcome. Hence the reaction from Rogers and Telus here in Canada when Toronto Hydro recently announced it would enter enemy territory and offer wireless Internet access from equipment installed on hydro poles and traffic lights. "It's expensive and hard"… "they are wasting their time," the incumbents railed.
But there is precedence for utilities entering the fray, and in a far more ambitious way than Toronto Hydro currently envisage.
Broadband over Power Line (BPL) technology uses existing electric wires and outlets to provide high-speed Internet access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and video to end customers at competitive prices. It's been around for a while, but the technology and equipment to drive it has only come into its own in the last while.
I spoke with Jim Dondero, vice-president of marketing at U.S.-based Current Communications LLC, a company making serious headway in the BPL marketplace. In 2004, Current partnered with Duke Energy, formerly known as Cinergy, in Cincinnati, Ohio to sell competitively priced broadband services to 50,000 customers, going head to head with DSL and cable access offerings from Cincinnati Bell and Time Warner Cable in the process.
In Texas, Current has partnered with TXU Electric Delivery, a subsidiary of TXU Corp. to service more than two million homes and businesses and provide 'smart grid capabilities to the giant utility.
The large utilities are interested in BPL as it allows them to digitize their stale decades old infrastructure. The 'smart grid' concept also allows them to remotely monitor power lines and identify outages quickly and gather data on customer energy usage patterns. And possibly to save millions of dollars in the process.
But can Current, the new kid on a very tough block, survive the inevitable dust up?
Jim Dondero acknowledged that Current is not the only player in the BPL space, but it has built its own equipment and software, it has substantial IP in the underlying technology, a decent head-start with an installed base, and deep-pocketed investors with an eye to the end game.
"We have much more experience than anyone else and we know how to scale." The big US ISP Earthlink has agreed to become a channel partner- it doesn't own a carrier so it must rely on cable and phone companies- so it is looking at B.P.L. as an alternative channel to market. Dondero also added that the large TXU rollout later this year would prove that the business is viable.
But he maintains that a far more significant differentiator in the David and Goliath battle is that the technology 'just works'. You simply need a special adaptor that plugs into an electric socket in your home or office that you connect to your computer with an Ethernet cable. The adaptor costs about $25 and you can buy extra adapters for about $30.
It will come as music to the ears of folk driven demented by complex cable and DSL installations, to learn that BPL requires no new software, no dreaded installation discs and no extra wires to break your neck over. Once you are plugged in, you are redirected to a log-in page, and Mum's the word - you are good to surf. And several folk in a house can be on the Net at once with no drag on speed. Better still, you can use the system to set up home networks and it works with industry standard WiFi networks.
It seems too good to be true. But existing customers in the Cincinnati region, if an article in the New York Times a while back is anything to go by, seem hugely keen. In fact, their enthusiasm is akin to St Paul's epiphany on the road to Damascus. Once you go BPL, it seems you will never go back. Affordability, ease of use and faster upload speeds are a big draw.
Indeed, according to Jim Dondero, "not all broadband is created equally." BPL offers a two-way symmetric high-speed connection, with an upload speed that Current claims is up to 25 times faster than other high-speed services, and as much as 75 times faster than dial-up - important considerations for customers, as popular video and music files hog bandwidth.
Current is planning to introduce new services, including an Internet phone service later this year. Customers will be able to plug their phones into a BPL adapter instead of a phone jack.
And there is yet more to come, as Current will offer TV and video with a content provider partner in the near future. "We are firm believers in this, and we won't wait," Dondero said.
I quizzed Dondero about possible partners. "We have lots of options, and we are talking to folk." He wasn't telling. But he was willing to say who it wouldn't be: "We certainly won't partner with a cable company or teleco."
But hints at possible alliances can be found by looking at the list of investors who recently added $130-million in funding to Currents' coffers. The money came from existing partners TXU Corp., and EarthLink, but also from General Electric, which owns the TV network, NBC. Other deep pocket investors include partners Duke Energy, Goldman Sachs, Google, and the Hearst Corporation. Indeed, with this investor base, Current has enviable access to some of Hollywood and TV land's biggest movers and shakers.
In fact, Current was founded by Liberty Associated Partners, L.P., an investment fund vehicle partnership between the wealthy Berkman family and media baron John Malone's Liberty Media Corporation.
So can we expect NBC or Hearst, with its many media assets, to deliver a nice content-rich bundle over BPL? Such a move by broadcasters would surely tick off their long- term partners, the cable companies, but they too are mixing it up by making their own content.
The truth is that the Internet has muddied the waters, with mobile TV and Web video also viable channels to market. And the big guns all want a piece. They are also vying to win the living room wars. From the slow-to- react electronics (TV) makers, to software giants like Microsoft, with its PC centric media centre (it wants to embed Windows in everything we hold dear), to the carriers and broadcasters, who depend on ad dollars to deliver content.
But chasing ad dollars, the inimitable Google way, means that the battle will inevitably revolve around content, as the best content drives eyeballs, which in turn attracts advertisers.
So BPL may simply be yet another wild card thrown into an already heady mix.
And it is not all rosy in BPL land, as providers have been besieged with complaints from ham radio operators, who say that BPL interferes with their radio signals. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set guidelines and it seems that there is potential for both to co-exist, but time will tell. Some of the most infamous hackers were ham radio enthusiasts so they are not a crowd to tick off.
The FCC is, however, supportive of BPL as an alternative to the telcos and cable companies that dominate the broadband market in the U.S. There is lots of room for growth in the broadband market both in Canada and in the U.S. — we both respectively ranked 8th and 12th in the broadband stakes worldwide, according to an OECD report in Dec. 2005.
So what are the chances that BPL will emerge as a real player? The telcos and cable companies say 'no way', and indeed they are heavily entrenched, but they fail to recognize that many consumers are still smarting from the numerous indignities we suffered at their hands over the years.
Remember the good old days when getting in a phone or cable meant taking the day off work, sitting on your new IKEA sofa twiddling your thumbs waiting for The Guy to arrive, usually at 4.55 p.m. when you had finally lost all hope. And then to add insult to injury, he would set about ruthlessly wrecking your place with miles of poorly placed and monstrously ugly cables and be on his merry way. And the telcos were no better.
We consumers are rather like elephants and small children; we have long memories and if given real choice, it may be payback time. Making nice to us now hasn't erased the scars.
And regulators also have an axe to grind. They are committed to increasing broadband uptake and in bridging the digital divide that exists in many countries, which has been attributed to the telcos hanging on to the last mile for dear life, and keeping access fees, especially in the EU exorbitantly high. This is the primary reason that cities and municipalities around the world are looking to introduce free WiFi to citizens, to work around the problem.
In fact, after successful trials, BPL is the third broadband access system available in Spain, and it is hoped it will eventually be offered throughout the country. Other countries are taking a close look as well. Trials in Quebec and Sault St Marie have taken place, but it is unclear what the future holds for BPL in Canada.
Where does security fit into the picture?
Utilities are generally considered pretty hopeless on the data security front, as traditionally they did not have to care, as critical assets were isolated. That is no longer the case as IP connections are rife, so utilities and BPL providers will have to carefully manage the security risk.
But the telcos are no strangers to data loss and theft, and content providers, with the Sony rootkit example, have shown us that they too can turn a good thing bad, by shipping malicious code on CDs to one and all to protect content. Let he who is blameless throw the first security stone.
One thing is clear, we've gamely put up with lousy software for too long, as we know no better - unless you own a MAC - but some things are sacred, and when it comes to TV, there is a implicit 'zero tolerance' rule.
If the TV crashes, or it gets too smart or weird on us, we will cry blue murder. This is an especially hostile environment for the software guys, to whom consumers are a terrifying alien species. It may be the rock on which they perish.
So if BPL is truly plug and play, rather than plug and pray, as well as cheap, fast and content rich, it may be the dawn of a new era.
Bring it on.
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
The Cambridge Springs-based cooperative has developed a plan in cooperation with IBEC Inc. to provide broadband over the cooperative's electric lines
July 05, 2006]
Rural broadband step closer
(Erie Times-News (PA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jul. 1--CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS -- The common electric outlet might soon bridge the digital divide for customers of Northwest Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
The "digital divide" refers to the separation between those who have access to high-speed broadband Internet and those without, who are most often residents of rural areas where cable is not available and phone companies do not readily provide DSL services.
The Cambridge Springs-based cooperative has developed a plan in cooperation with International Broadband Electric Communications Inc. to provide broadband over the cooperative's electric lines.
The technology, called "broadband over power line," turns every electric outlet in a home into an Internet port with the proper equipment for subscribers.
Northwest Rural Electric Cooperative serves more than 21,100 customers, including 14,970 in Crawford County, 4,747 in Erie County and 1,091 in Venango County. It also serves a handful of customers in the counties of Mercer, Warren and Ashtabula, Ohio.
Cooperative spokeswoman Mary Mulligan-Haines said that from the cooperative's perspective, it is premature to discuss details of the plan being developed with IBEC.
"That is the company we are working with, but we don't know for sure if this is going to happen. We don't want to get people's hopes up," she said. "The main issue is whether there's enough people interested in making the investment."
IBEC officials were more certain.
The company is submitting an application this month for a federal Rural Utilities Services loan and/or loan guarantee to fund development of the system.
"Northwest (Rural Electric Cooperative) is among a group of 13 rural cooperatives that we are going in with for a loan request," said Rick DiLella, IBEC's national sales director. "Pending approval, we intend to build out all 13 of those cooperatives."
DiLella said the company could have a decision on its loan request as soon as 90 days after submitting its application, but he expects it will take longer, perhaps four to six months.
"We have no way of knowing,"he said.
The company, based in Huntsville, Ala., already is well along in developing broadband-over-power line systems for a cooperative in Virginia and southern Illinois, DiLella said.
Christopher J. Beichner, Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission associate director for strategic initiatives, said rural electric cooperatives are particularly well-suited for bridging the digital divide in rural areas.
"If you look at the history of rural electric cooperatives, they were formed because there was an electric divide at one time -rural areas were not getting electric service," Beichner said. "Cooperatives are serving very rural areas of Pennsylvania that don't now have broadband. The ability to provide it over their electric lines is a big push forward."
DiLella said IBEC's broadband-over-power line service is cost competitive with the DSL services provided by telephone companies and with cable services.
IBEC's broadband-over-power line has some additional benefits over most competing services, including the ability to use any existing electric outlet, its transmission speed and the fact it does not require a minimum contract period, he said.
The technology is relatively new, especially in the United States, but has been proved in Europe, DiLella said.
========
BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Rural broadband step closer
(Erie Times-News (PA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jul. 1--CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS -- The common electric outlet might soon bridge the digital divide for customers of Northwest Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
The "digital divide" refers to the separation between those who have access to high-speed broadband Internet and those without, who are most often residents of rural areas where cable is not available and phone companies do not readily provide DSL services.
The Cambridge Springs-based cooperative has developed a plan in cooperation with International Broadband Electric Communications Inc. to provide broadband over the cooperative's electric lines.
The technology, called "broadband over power line," turns every electric outlet in a home into an Internet port with the proper equipment for subscribers.
Northwest Rural Electric Cooperative serves more than 21,100 customers, including 14,970 in Crawford County, 4,747 in Erie County and 1,091 in Venango County. It also serves a handful of customers in the counties of Mercer, Warren and Ashtabula, Ohio.
Cooperative spokeswoman Mary Mulligan-Haines said that from the cooperative's perspective, it is premature to discuss details of the plan being developed with IBEC.
"That is the company we are working with, but we don't know for sure if this is going to happen. We don't want to get people's hopes up," she said. "The main issue is whether there's enough people interested in making the investment."
IBEC officials were more certain.
The company is submitting an application this month for a federal Rural Utilities Services loan and/or loan guarantee to fund development of the system.
"Northwest (Rural Electric Cooperative) is among a group of 13 rural cooperatives that we are going in with for a loan request," said Rick DiLella, IBEC's national sales director. "Pending approval, we intend to build out all 13 of those cooperatives."
DiLella said the company could have a decision on its loan request as soon as 90 days after submitting its application, but he expects it will take longer, perhaps four to six months.
"We have no way of knowing,"he said.
The company, based in Huntsville, Ala., already is well along in developing broadband-over-power line systems for a cooperative in Virginia and southern Illinois, DiLella said.
Christopher J. Beichner, Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission associate director for strategic initiatives, said rural electric cooperatives are particularly well-suited for bridging the digital divide in rural areas.
"If you look at the history of rural electric cooperatives, they were formed because there was an electric divide at one time -rural areas were not getting electric service," Beichner said. "Cooperatives are serving very rural areas of Pennsylvania that don't now have broadband. The ability to provide it over their electric lines is a big push forward."
DiLella said IBEC's broadband-over-power line service is cost competitive with the DSL services provided by telephone companies and with cable services.
IBEC's broadband-over-power line has some additional benefits over most competing services, including the ability to use any existing electric outlet, its transmission speed and the fact it does not require a minimum contract period, he said.
The technology is relatively new, especially in the United States, but has been proved in Europe, DiLella said.
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
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