Allterra, Volta River Authority begin BPL tests

Wednesday, 23 January 2008

Ghanaian broadband access provider Allterra Gridline Communications Ghana Limited, has begun piloting broadband over powerline (BPL) technology in the country in collaboration with the Volta River Authority, The Business Desk reports. The newcomer is conducting the two-month pilot trial in the Volta Hotel in Akosombo, demonstrating the technology’s ability to provide video-on-demand (VoD), voice-over-IP (VoIP), and high speed internet access over the utility’s municipal power grid.

Allterra says it has already achieved positive transmission rates across medium- to low-voltage lines and hopes to distribute broadband internet access to business users via its patented plug-and-play modems. The operator claims its service will be ‘significantly cheaper’ to deploy than rival DSL, satellite and T1 connections and will allow for connection speeds of up to 200Mbps. Allterra hopes the new technology will play an instrumental role in tackling the digital divide, and hopes to work with NGOs, industry leaders, and local utilities to achieve this.