[LINK] BPL

[Richard Chirgwin]

Adding my voice, and solely in the spirit of defogging.

The only commercial trial in Australia was abandoned. Regardless of the
reason given, the business case didn't stack up. It's all well and good
to blame externals, but the prices were not in line with other services:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060819054004/www.tastel.com.au/bpl/price_broadband.html

Remembering that ULL/LSS is not part of the cost base behind those
prices, the costs on the archived Web page suggest very high (relative)
network costs.

BPL doesn't only suffer the various technical considerations that have
been beaten to death in this thread. It also has to justify itself in
competition with alternatives such as fixed wireless (which providers
have deployments in your area, SL?) and 3G-based services.

Even if I accept a technical solution that overcomes *all* the problems,
I doubt it will ever be cost-competitive.

RC

Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
> 
>> Now the IEEE have just ratified BPL standards, let's you and i simply 
>> agree to wait and see what happens to emerging BPL technologies. Yes?
>>   
> Stephen,
> 
> Let me try and lift the fog a little. This is not a dig at you, it's 
> actually quite a complex and confusing subject and the term "Broadband 
> over Powerline" is open to misinterpretation.
> 
> Here is an IEEE report:
> 
> <quote>
> IEEE Approves First Standard for Broadband Over Powerline Hardware
> http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/pr_broadbandoverpowerlinehardware.html
> 
> PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA,13 January 2009 -- The IEEE has approved the 
> industry's first standard for Broadband Over Power Lines (BPL).IEEE 
> 1675™, "Standard for Broadband Over Powerline Hardware," provides 
> testing and verification standards for the commonly used hardware, 
> primarily couplers, for BPL installations, and provides suggested 
> installation methods to supplement a utility's or contractor's 
> installation procedures.
> 
> BPL provides the ability to send high-speed digital data over the power 
> lines between substations and homes and offices, turning every wall 
> outlet into a portal to the Internet."This standard will give both power 
> utilities and the BPL industry the ability to confidently pursue a BPL 
> installation," says Terrence Burns, Chair of the Broadband over Power 
> Line Standards Working Group, which developed IEEE 1675. "It provides 
> for the protection of and safe operation by utilities personnel, as well 
> as the safety of non-utility workers."IEEE 1675 was sponsored by the 
> Power System Communications Committee of the IEEE Power Engineering Society.
> </quote>
> 
> What this means is that the IEEE 1675 standard apply to the last part of 
> the mains circuit, after all transformers.
> 
> There is also IEEE 643 a "Guide for Power-Line Carrier Applications" a 
> standard for communication over the transmission line network (above 69kV).
> 
> Note this only applies to the transmission line above 69kV.
> 
> There is no standard that applies to the whole system from transmission 
> line to home socket. The 1675 standard applies to the "last mile". There 
> is quite a gap between the
> transmission line network and the last mile.
> 
> The trials may work but they don't demonstrate a workable system, only a 
> single component.
> 
> --
>  
> Regards
> brd
> 
> Bernard Robertson-Dunn
> Canberra Australia
> brd at iimetro.com.au
> 
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