Powerline Broadband Hits 400Mbps

Ham radio operators have opposed broadband over powerlines (BPL) for a few years, as they cite interference from BPL with their hobby. Compared to the deep-pocketed cable and telecom industries, the hams are a small ripple in a multi-billion dollar pond.

Rather than celebrating the advances made in BPL, most recently demonstrated by the firm DS2, those who could benefit from the service will have to watch from the sidelines as the impact of lobbying against state governments has frozen deployment of the service.

An Ars Technica story on DS2′s latest demonstration of its BPL chipset that BPL can hit speeds of 400Mbps. Once other factors have been applied, their chipset can support hardware delivering 200Mbps, double that of 100-BaseT.

This useful commodity could be delivering true broadband service not only to underserved rural markets, but urban areas where rewiring a skyscraper for fiber would be a monumental expense. Big buildings and bucolic farmhouses have something in common: existing electrical wiring.

Since this would be a municipal operation, prices would be far less for service than existing competitors who won’t close the last mile to customers to provide service in the first place. That has the telecom industry lobbying against municipal BPL in several states, successfully in many cases.

It’s not just the telecoms who have reason to fear BPL finally fulfilling years of promise. Cable television can be delivered to a peering point and pushed over BPL; it’s just ones and zeroes like other data, but again, at a potentially much lower price than the local cable monopoly charges.

Interference with FCC-approved ham radios has been the major point of contention. The well-intentioned delays caused by the hams have allowed cable and telcos time to head off promising BPL initiatives long before they can be considered.

People shouldn’t put up with broadband service that underperforms alternatives, especially when considering just how much they pay for it. BPL needs a solid standard, which the IEEE has started to explore; that standard needs to consider how to protect ham radio frequencies.

Compared to the political problems and the money the entrenched interests can throw at politicians, we hope such a standard emerges quickly.

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… of the people “to know” in the media world.

They are: Jessica Coen (Gawker), Ana Marie Cox (Wonkette), Nick Denton (Gawker Media), John H. Hideraker and Scott W. Johnson (Powerline), Glen Reynolds (Instapundit) and – believe it or not – me.

Personally, I think others are more deserving than I am – Jeff Jarvis, Dan Gillmor, Jason Calacanis, Henry Copland, etc. – but I would like to thank the editors at MediaPost for this honor. It’s great to see so many bloggers making a list that includes such luminaries as Oprah, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, the Google Guys and more. I feel like Forest Gump.

They are: Jessica Coen (Gawker), Ana Marie Cox (Wonkette), Nick Denton (Gawker Media), John H. Hideraker and Scott W. Johnson (Powerline), Glen Reynolds (Instapundit) and – believe it or not – me. Personally, I think others are more deserving than I am – Jeff Jarvis, Dan Gillmor, Jason Calacanis, Henry Copland, etc. – but I would like to thank the editors at MediaPost for this honor.

It’s great to see so many bloggers making a list that includes such luminaries as Oprah, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, the Google Guys and more. I feel like Forest Gump.

Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.

He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.

Intellon Corporation, the world’s leading provider of integrated circuit (IC) solutions for high-speed powerline networking, today announced that Packard Bell, the number one personal computer manufacturer in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK, has selected Intellon’s HomePlug(R) technology to provide connectivity for the world’s first personal computers (PCs) with built-in powerline networking. By embedding Intellon’s ICs into the power supplies, the new desktop PC platforms use a single power cord to provide both power and reliable whole-house connectivity.

Known as imedia and ixtreme, the new PCs are true media centers designed for today’s popular uses, such as digital entertainment, audio and data communications. With powerline networking built-in to these new PC platforms, imedia and ixtreme users can add the PCs to a home network by simply plugging them into any existing electrical outlet and experience whole-house connectivity in a matter of seconds. Additional products in the home can be connected to the new networking infrastructure instantly by simply plugging in to Packard Bell’s Net2Plug adapters. The new imedia and ixtreme PC platforms will be available in Europe later this summer.

Intellon’s HomePlug standard technology delivers high-speed networking over existing home power lines. The company’s products enable imedia and ixtreme users to securely transfer Internet and digital entertainment content at speeds up to 14 megabits per second (Mbps).

“Packard Bell is a supporter of powerline home networking technology because it offers reliable connectivity, limitless coverage area, and increased security,” said Louis Perrin, product marketing director, consumer division, Packard Bell. “Intellon is a pioneer and the leader in this arena, so it’s a natural decision to select their ICs. We have already worked with Intellon to develop an entire product line embedded with powerline technology including our new Digital Media Adapter (Medi@TV) and network powerplugs (net2plug).”

Powerline connectivity offers greater flexibility and convenience because the number of power outlets in a home greatly exceeds the number of telephone jacks and cable connections. Therefore, it does not require the users to run new wires or cables.

“As the digital home emerges, consumers need new levels of home connectivity and PC/CE convergence,” said Cameron McCaskill, Intellon’s vice president, sales and business development. “We are proud to partner with Packard Bell to develop the world’s first desktop PC with built-in powerline connectivity, providing consumers with the ability to simply plug in their computer for whole-house networking. The selection of Intellon’s HomePlug technology for imedia and ixtreme and the decision to develop a complete family of powerline embedded products further validates the fact that powerline connectivity truly is the simplest, most reliable way to network devices in the home. We look forward to continuing to work with Packard Bell to enhance their customers’ digital home experience.”

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