Corinex Provides Broadband Over Powerline In Ecuador

by Alan Harten
July 16, 2008
Corinex Communications Corp, has announced a new partnership with EMPRESA ELECTRICA QUITO (EEQ) which has selected the Consortium of TELCONET S.A., GILAUCO S.A. and BRIGHTCELL S.A. to deploy a Corinex Broadband over Powerline (BPL)

This is the second major announcement from Corinex in less than a week.

They announced on the 8th July that they had secured a contract to install and run Broadband over Powerline (BPL) technology to multiple villages and educational campuses throughout India, as part of a venture linking the Indian and Canadian governments, for research into the development of BPL as a way of reaching remote villages in under-developed areas.

That contact has an initial value of $17 million.

Through this new venture residents and businesses in Quito will have the opportunity to receive voice, video and broadband Internet services in any standard electrical outlet in the home or office.

In addition to consumer services, the Consortium will be deploying automated meters, municipal security services and distribution automation of the EEQ grid.

The Corinex BPL network project is a full commercial deployment, and when completed it will span over 15,000 kilometres of EEQ’s medium and low voltage electrical lines, connect 27,000 of its transformers and be available to 800,000 residents.

The possibilities for growth in the country seem promising.

In 2000 there were just 180,000 internet subscribers out of a population of 12 million, that had grown to just under a million users by 2006.

That may be related to the average household income more than doubling over the same period.

Another aspect that may be holding back proliferation is that although there are over thirty providers in the nation, the average monthly bill is over $20, a high price in a low income country.

This new powerline option may enable a lowering of average charges and thus a more widespread audience, especially in areas previously cut off from internet services.

Currently the Consortium of TELCONET, GILAUCO, and BRIGHTCELL is connecting 1,000 transformers per month and expects to complete the full Corinex BPL network rollout within two and a half years.

The project is expected to be one of the largest deployments of BPL technology in the world, with the Consortium winning the EEQ contract to deliver broadband services for 10 years.

Customers will be able to order different service packages ranging from 256 kbps up to one Mbps broadband access with various VoIP and video options.

Deployment of the BPL network began in December 2007 in the major metropolitan area of Quito, where 550,000 of the 1,200,000 residents are located.

The BPL network is continuously expanding since its inception, with 17 communities scheduled for receiving services, including Tabacundo, San Miguel de los Bancos, Pedro Vicente Maldonado, Sangolquí, Machachi, Baeza, Conocoto, San Rafaél, Cumbayá, Tumbaco, El Quinche, Checa, Yaruquí, Guayllabamba, Puèllaro, Atahualpa and San José de Minas.