ACA launches broadband over power line website
Martin Sinclair, 21 Jan 2005
The Australian Communication Authority today released a new information website for broadband over power line (BPL) technology.
BPL technology promises to provide broadband speeds of over 10Mbps by utilising existing power line infrastructure.
The site lists trials currently underway as well as guidelines for providers looking to roll out BPL in the future. Four power companies are currently conducting trials including Aurora Energy in Tasmania, Energy Australia in Newcastle and two regional providers in NSW.
The ACA is looking into the regulatory issues associated with the new technology and is opening discussions with interested parties. Regulation will ensure that frequencies used by BPL do not interfere with other radio services.
ACA Chairman Bob Horton noted the challenge of forming regulations that "do not unnecessarily inhibit the adoption of BPL technology but at the same time protect radio communications services from harmful interference."
He also believes that Australia is "keeping pace" with other countries including Europe and the United States who are also in the process of developing the necessary regulations.
Links:
- ACA BPL Portal
- Broadband powered by ... power (Whirlpool, 24 Nov 2004)
About time tassie and reganil areas get new tech first :D Lets just hope there not idiots with pricing and Data limits,......
Thats why you can get Optus and Telstra cable in Brisbane, and Telstra Cable in most other QLD cities as well.
If you want faster speeds, move to a better city ;p
internet.aca.gov.au/acai...line%20final.pdf
The cost of these repeaters and fibers may make this idea too expensive to implement large scale. Then again it would probably be cheaper than a cable network. But it would still require in the billions to implement in the city. We might be some time away from these dollars being spent even if it is approved by the ACA
Ring your friendly Telstra or Optus account manager.
From VK3CKK himself.
The FTA (Free Trade Agreement) between the USA and Australia is likely to be or already law by the time you read this. Here is a section from the telecommunications chapter of the agreement. If you read it carefully, you could drive a road train (ie truck) through it. Here comes BPL!!!!!
There is as overiding Treaty which cannot be overidden (although some will try)by the FTA,it is the ITU treaty on radio interference.
Even the FTA cannot bypass safety and EMI issues. In any case the technology is European not US.
Why do you think it will be high speed, low cost? Like all new technologies it will be expensive, and remember the speed is shared, so do not expect any faster than ADSL today.
Australia is a dinosaur on ADSL
Not really, why do you claim that?
it is time to "get moving" on powerline BB.
Except it is not really moving in any country...
And doesn't some parts of south africa have bpl allreaddy?
I am sure there are quite a few people like me, its frustrating, paying like $90 a month for a 1500/256 connection, then getting a crap connection. Not only that, but to prove to Telstra, that you have a problem, is a problem by itself.
They expect us to get to a higher technical level (If not, they say, there is no problem so what you complaining about ?), understand the problem, then tell them what it is, then get them to agree "that there is a problem".
Great, acheived stage 1, after that they say they need major repairs, but when they can do the repairs, NO IDEA.
The new BPL seems good, but is it:
1) When do we actually get it, 2 mths, 6 mths or is it indefinate ?
2) How is it for Gaming ? (eg. I asked a wireless tech, if 1500/256 was suitable for gaming, he said NO. (So speed is not the only factor)
There has to be a feasible alternative to Telstra, its uncivilised, how they deal with problems, basically 0 care factor.
These error-correcting codes introduce delays which impair "ping" times for gamers, and causes delays for VoIP users.
This is not so noticeable for activities such as web browsing, file download or Instant Messenger.
Cheers
Giant
It's an IP connection, provided there are no firewalls upstream, of course it will.
BUT - what about competition? Will Energex say operate a virtual monopoly whereby if you want BOP you only have one choice of ISP??
Good point, and yes I think they will, I dont think there is any legal requirnment for them to open up their network, like telstra do with their copper.
But this is a point someone needs to clarify.
;)
However, since BPL will only ever be in areas which already have broadband, they can't sit back and charge through the roof, it will have to compete with ADSL. I say this because BPL deployment isn't cheap, and it generally can only service areas very close to power substations without further expenses in the way of repeaters.
If a BPL network ever actually hits commerical status, i'd be very surprised, interference appears to be simply unavoidable. The problem is, these power companies flat out avoid the topic of interference when it comes to their trials, all you ever hear is "great success". Yeah, i'm sure from a data point of view it was, but how about from an interference point of view? I've already heard a few independant reports on recent trials here in NSW, and the resulting interference was ugly.
www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc
also some more information here about BPL
www.wia.org.au
Dont get your hopes up on this technology. It has lots of problems with interference. For example, your cordless telephone is likely to stop working, emergency services in regional areas like Fire and Ambulance who use HF communications could be severely interfered with, CB radio operators on 27MHz could suffer communications 'blackouts' due to the radiated noise from BPL modems, international air traffic control services could even be affected. In fact any HF or Shortwave radio service can be impacted by this stuff, so dont expect the ACA to allow it's use lightly. If it happens at all, it will (hopefully) only be after very extensive trials that demonstrate that any finally adopted standards do not interfere with radio communications. After all, you wouldnt want to live in regional Australia, find your self needing an ambulance, only to discover that your neighbour's BPL modem blocked out the ambo's radio and a member of your family died because they couldnt communicate with base properly now would you?
Looking at the two cordless phones here, one's 2.4Ghz, the other 5.8Ghz. If the BPL modems leak, why not shield them in a metal case, or is the cabling emitting EMI ?
I was listening to a local Radio station the other week and I heard a interview with some wireless guy and he said that they are opposed to it.
I will see if I can track down the site.
check this out if you want to hear the wireless institute of Aust opinion on BPL.
Follow this link.
www.tektime.com.au/index...emid=219&op=page
Thanks for the heads up Paul.
A weaker signal means a slower useful data transfer speed.
BPL won't be able to reach quite as far as an ADSL signal (power wiring is less suitable for data transmission than telephone wiring).
The difference is that the ADSL reach is measured from an ADSL-equipped exchange or CMUX (Telstra green box beside the street). The BPL reach is measured from a BPL-equipped power transformer (power company green box beside the street).
They probably get a bit farther if there are nill or 1 or 2 taps off the line.
------------------
In most cases fibre either has already, or is being installed to the substations. This has been done for system control purposes and is not yet fully implemented. The idea of BPL is control your appliances. When demand reaches a limit the idea is turn off your airconditioner or ovens. This is the long term plan. To rent access to an ISP for internet to users is cream on the cake.
Did those of you in NSW hear Bob Carr rule out another power station to cope with further demand ? If you don't build another power station you MUST shed load. BPL is how they are thinking of doing it. They have already in the US started down that track.
The next generation of appliances will either have TCPIP terminals built in or your switch board will be fitted with black boxes.
Whistling in the dark !!!
It was only this morning that I was told by Telstra that they do not have to supply DSL infrastructure, but it was their only role to supply a working telephone service.
Maybe with some competiton in the infrastructure market Telstra will be forced to do the job properly.
It is very seldom you see pole transformers in suburban areas.
So getting around transformers is not the problem here as compared to the US with their 220/110 volt system. They use transformer for evert three or so houses.
The spin doctors like Paul Budde are working overtime. 200Mb/s... universal broadband availability.....
Get real...
Reliable high speed networks can NOT be implemented using noisy , unpredictable power lines. Period
I wonder how many investors they suck in before they realize this technology is a crock.
Cheers
Like most things it is a double edged sword. Interference goes both ways. If a transmitter running common power levels comes on within say 300 metres the BPL will usually stop dead. If the transmission lasts a significant time, a time which probab;ly varies with the system, it will shut down and will have to be restarted from boot up. The BPL people have not addressed this problem at all.
They know about it but are hoping to legislate it away.
Some systems have been stopped or slowed from about 1/2 to 3/4 mile away in the US. It is a very significant problem for which the blame will probably be put on the transmitter owner.
Oh well such is life !!
The NTIA believes that ionisheric effects will not be noticible until perhaps millions of modems are in use.
However the BBC Research Dept has done calculations on this and they believe if London was substantially wired up with BPL then the noise floor in continental Europe would rise by a few DB.
By extention if you added Birmingham, Manchester and a few other big cities fully wired up with BPL you might then start to see a significant rise in the noise floor.
Another thing that concerens me is the fact that we are currently approaching the sunspot minimum, which makes for very poor HF conditions on many frequency bands. This will substantially mask the problem for a while (maybe 4 or 5 years).
Cheers
However, here we are talking about just one system. It has been mathermatically concluded by the BBC research that multiple BPL signals would be additive. I am not mathermatically numerate enough to know whether it would add linearly or to some other function.
Ie, two would not have twice the power of one.
Cheers
Another example, on 7Mhz I can just be heard and be barely readable on the ground wave using 5 watts 5 km away and yet my signal is over S9 and "booming in" 1000km away!
Cheers