IEEE Begins Standard to Define
Communication Channel for Broadband-Over-Powerline
Systems
IEEE P1901(TM) to Provide
Essential Step in Commercializing BPL
Contact: Jim Mollenkopf, Co-chair of the BPL PHY/MAC
Working Group
+1 301-515-7617; jim.mollenkopf@currenttechnologies.com
or
Jean-Phillippe Faure, Co-Chair of the BPL PHY/MAC
Working Group
+33 (0) 4 76 60 59 56
or
Karen McCabe, IEEE Senior Marketing Manager
+1 732-562-3824, k.mccabe@ieee.org
For Release:
Immediate
PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA, 30 June 2005 With momentum
building to adapt the installed base of electrical
power lines for Internet and other broadband communications,
the IEEE has begun work on a standard to define the
nature of the communication channel to be used. This
standard, being developed within the IEEE-SA Corporate
Program, will be an essential step in helping manufacturers
develop the devices to be used in commercializing
this approach.
The standard, IEEE P1901(TM), "Standard for
Broadband over Power Line Networks: Medium Access
Control and Physical Layer Specifications", will
make it easier for high-speed communication equipment
to be used with AC power lines. A entity-based standard,
participants developing P1901 include companies and
other organizations from the power, utilities and
broadband communities. It is targeted for completion
in early 2007.
IEEE P1901 will apply to broadband-over-power-line
(BPL) devices for first-mile/last-mile connection
to broadband services, as well as those for the local
area networks and other data distribution systems
to function over copper power lines in a building.
The standard will create a balanced and efficient
BPL channel that has the bandwidth and quality of
service needed by all users.
"The ability to transmit digital data over power
lines from substations to homes and offices is attracting
attention because it transforms wall outlets into
Internet portals," says Jim Mollenkopf, co-chair
of the IEEE BPL PHY/MAC Working Group. "This
approach resolves the tough task of linking long-distance
fiber optic cables to individual computers and should
make the Internet even more universal than it now
is. If BPL is to become widespread, there is a need
for a robust standard that supports the use many types
of BPL devices. Our intent is for IEEE P1901 to be
that standard."
Jean-Philippe Faure, the other working group co-chair,
says BPL communications involves an open media able
to be shared by many devices. "The physical and
medium access layers to be defined in the new standard
will ensure that BPL devices operating on the same
network will be able to coexist without conflict.
It also will allow for interoperability among BPL
devices from different vendors so end users can create
viable systems according to their needs."
In access BPL systems, communication signals are
imposed on electrical distribution feeders and travel
over medium-voltage lines to the step-down transformer
at a residence or business. A repeater/router extracts
the signal and places it on the low-voltage wiring
where it can be accessed through a modem plugged into
any outlet. BPL also allows utilities to deploy devices
that can make electric service more efficient and
reliable by monitoring system problems and performance.
The member organizations of the BPL PHY/MAC Working
Group developing the standard are drawn from the utility,
Internet service provider, BPL equipment producer
and other communities. For more information on this
working group and the broader IEEE broadband-over-powerline
effort, see http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/bpl/index.html.
IEEE P1901 is sponsored by the IEEE Communications
Society.
About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized
standards-setting body, develops voluntary consensus
standards through an open process that brings diverse
parts of an industry and the public together. These
standards set specifications and procedures based
on current scientific consensus. The IEEE-SA has a
portfolio of some 900 active standards and more than
400 standards in development. For information on the
IEEE-SA see: http://standards.ieee.org/.
About the IEEE Corporate Standards Program
The IEEE Corporate Standards Program brings companies
and other organizations together to develop standards
in entity-based working groups. Companies participate
directly in IEEE's accredited standardization process,
with each corporate member entitled to one vote. This
industry-oriented program facilitates work completion
in one to two years, depending on participant commitment
and use of IEEE support services. The program also
expedites international adoption through agreements
and alliances with key international standards organizations.
About the IEEE
The IEEE has more than 360,000 members in approximately
175 countries. Through its members, the organization
is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace,
computers and telecommunications to biomedicine, electric
power and consumer electronics. The IEEE produces
nearly 30 percent of the world's literature in the
electrical and electronics engineering, computing
and control technology fields. This nonprofit organization
also sponsors or cosponsors more than 300 technical
conferences each year. Additional information about
the IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org
