Broadband over Power Lines

cablewithaview

Stand against retrans!!!
Original poster
Supporting Founder
Apr 18, 2005
398
0
DeKalb County, AL
Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) has been around for ten years. It is now being looked upon as an alternative to DSL and cable for broadband Internet access. BPL can be used to transfer radio frequency across power lines and its biggest advantages are its reach and an already established infrastructure.

More than 100 trials and pilots in 40 countries in Europe have attested to the feasibility of BPL. Germany and Spain already have commercial BPL networks. Pilots and tests at a commercial level are taking place in the United States. The acceptance of BPL will be affected by the absence of uniform standards and the chances of bandwidth and radio interference. Energy leakage in the power lines can lead to noise. BPL providers have to try and limit the interference so that it conforms to the levels allowed by the FCC.

BPL can be of help in enabling the rural population to access broadband who are currently dependent on dial-up. However, this entails setting up an infrastructure, which will incur costs that can only be met with government subsidies. In urban markets, BPL faces stiff competition from already established players. Being a new entrant, it is possible that BPL has not yet identified all the impediments that it may face while trying to gain mass acceptance.

http://www.voipnow.org/2005/11/broadband_over_.html