Dream of 1Gbps for Consumers Becoming Reality Using BPL

red_bairn

Interesting talk about BPL:

Since the invention of Moore’s law, we have been perplexed with higher bandwidth and thirsty bandwidth users optimizing with lower power consumption, and that law has been in existence for the past 3+ decades and may continue on its current path for at least the next 3-5 years as I see it.

Despite great applications of Moore’s Law into overall communications, communication companies have been trying to get access to major distribution, connecting customers from edge of the network to Wide Area Network.

Verizon FIoS platform drove fiber directly to customers driving minimum 1Gbps and as electronics mature, that capacity can continue to move even higher. In this wireless world, we started with a 2G network with several KB/s speed to today’s LTE speed of 10-50 Mbps and expect over 1Gbps with LTE-Advanced.

Similar technology in the cable industry is delivering 50-100 Mbps with DOCSIS 3.1 and DOCSIS 4.0 is expected to achieve speeds of 1GBps and higher. DSL-based technology over time is becoming obsolete like all other technologies, but there is massive enhancement yet to be made in this space as well.

There is yet another technology which has passed by major observers which is called Broadband over Power Line (BPL). This technology has the ability and a method of providing broadband communications access service over residential power lines.

It has been proven that distribution is the key to networking and that logic has been in existence for over a century. Why everyone is investing at the edge of the network whether with wire line or wireless to deliver the end state connection to customers and deliver Best in Class in cost, capability and cycle time with massive enhancement to Quality of Experience (QoE) and Quality of Service?

There is no question of the potential of BPL in the coming years for more distribution in marketplaces across the country and worldwide. Clearly, one area of concern is security and quality of service issues that will need to be addressed if the technology is to expand, particularly to accommodate voice and other real time media applications.

There are significant regional differences in the architecture of power distribution systems in North America and elsewhere. In the US, the standard residential voltage is 120V, with about 5 to 10 homes served per transformer. In Europe and elsewhere, residential voltage is 240V, with about 150 homes served per transformer. Such differences significantly alter the economics of BPL deployment across the globe.

THE MARKET

Broadband over Power Line (BPL) is a wide area communication access technology that permits two-way digital traffic to be carried on electric utility power lines.

Using this technology, it is possible to provide broadband access to a neighborhood or multiple-dwelling unit (MDU) without stringing new wires. BPL competes in the marketplace with technologies like cable and DSL, though the market penetration is far smaller. Worldwide, the number of users appears to be measured in the tens of thousands.

BPL is to be distinguished from home control systems, such as X-10 and Home Plug home networking systems, which use residential in-home wiring to distribute signals within a single home.

POWER LINE ENVIRONMENT

Sending data over electric cables has been done for decades in limited applications like controlling street-lamps and remote meter reading. To understand how BPL technology works, it is necessary to understand a little about power transmission architecture. Electrical power is created at a generation station, such as a coal burning plant, nuclear or hydroelectric station. On exiting the electric power plant, the voltage is typically on the order of from 155 kV to 765 kV. These high voltages are obtained through a transformer in order to minimize losses during transport over large distances.

Closer to the final consumer, other transformers at electrical sub stations are used to reduce (or step-down) voltages to intermediate levels (few thousand volts; 7-18 KV is typical) before being carried on to a medium voltage (MV) or secondary transmission plant. Finally near the places of consumption, pole-mounted transformers are typically used to create the relatively low voltage (120V) that is typically used in residential applications. Power cables above ground are nearly always unshielded.

BPL IMPLEMENTATION

Generally, a BPL signal is injected into a power grid and travels along the existing secondary (MV) electric utility wires to a customer’s home. The injected signal frequency is typically at 5-30 MHz, although extensions to 50 MHz and beyond are possible. Just as in wireless communications, which is also a noise-limited environment, sophisticated modulation techniques are used to overcome limitations in the communications channel. Spread spectrum Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) techniques are used to safeguard signals from corruption and loss. In the recent past, there have been new modulation schemes that seem more efficient like OFDM.

It is important to note that in the US, BPL must operate on an unlicensed basis to other licensed services. It must accept interference from them and not cause interference to them. These services as well as public safety (fire, police and ambulance dispatch) and local government are used in the 30-80 MHz portion of the radio spectrum. BPL is treated as a carrier current system that is subject to the FCC part 15 rules for unlicensed operations.

With FCC frequency allocation on a secondary basis to amateur operations, some of these issues have been alleviated already.

Overseas, in Germany and the UK, there are more restrictive regulations that might prohibit radiation levels normally associated with power line communications. In Japan, government leaders believe it's too early to allow BPL between 2 MHz and 30 MHz due to hazardous effects on HF users. In Finland, the technology has been shelved temporarily until interference issues can be addressed. In Singapore, several efforts to deploy BPL technology have proven too expensive. Stringent spurious emissions limits present a significant challenge to the designers of megabit power line communications equipment.

In the suite of methods for broadband access to the home, Power Line Communications has strong competition from better-established cable and DSL technologies. It remains to be seen if BPL technology can be a cost-effective, readily deployed alternative where broadband services are desired.

GENERAL IMPLICATIONS

With broadband already available to over 90% of consumers via more established technologies, I do believe BPL brings promise as another access mechanism to deliver 1Gbps, thus providing major competitive drive within US-based broadband communications. This model is what the industry needs if one combines with WiFi-based technologies to deliver the dream of 1Gbps to every residential customer, and with advent of Ultra HDTV (4K), I am convinced the need for higher thirsty bandwidth in the online debate of providing content especially with Amazon and others coming into the market will heat up pretty fast and furiously.

Clearly, applications of BPL can easily be adapted in both residential and Small Office Conditions to deliver superior bandwidth. If one uses WiFi wireless methodology and implements them every 200 to 700 feet, and given power is already on the power line, this can be major advantageous for cable companies to deliver over the air 1Gbps and BPL.

The good news is the rate of innovation is going at such an accelerated pace, the last mile of connectivity is where the battleground in 21 century will be fought and realize a dream in the hands of many customers worldwide to deliver a great Quality of Experience (QoE) and Quality of Service (QoS) for years to come.

Dr. Eslambolchi

Source:
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140414173048-5213223-dream-of-1gbps-for-consumers-becoming-reality-using-bpl

same ol sh1te

Absolute nonsense, fibre is the future, BPL is a failed technology that suffers badly from interference. It does not work