Archive for BPL

RB | April 9, 2010
No comments

VA BPL Net RIP

The Manassas, VA broadband over powerline (BPL) network is dead. DSLReports cites the chief protagonist of the BPL drama the American Radio Relay League ( ARRL) which reports that on April 05, 2010, the Manassas City Council unanimously voted to pull the plug as of July 01 2010.

BPL was once praised as the third alternative to the telco’s and cableco’s stranglehold on the broadband market.  Former FCC chief Michael Powell called the Manassas installation, “the pinnacle of broadband achievement” just five years ago. In the mean-time increased broadband speeds and the unwillingness of utilities to become broadband providers made BPL irrelevant.

rb-

The BPL vendors saw the writing on the wall a while ago and have turned their attention to the “smart grid.” I wrote about IBM’s move into BPL as part of their “Smarter Planet“marketing move awhile ago (here). This is an easier space for firms like Comtek, Ds2 and International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) to play in. They won’t have to deal with that pesky FCC or end users since they can sell their products to utilities as part of  the U.S Department of Energy $3.3 billion smart grid technology development cash give away grants.

Category: BPL, Broadband | Tags: ,
RB | December 27, 2009
No comments

BPL Clings to Life

bpl Marketwire recently reported that OneFi Technology, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: ONFI) announced the installation of WiMax/BPL Technology under the ARRA. The installation will occur in the 600 square mile Hogback Region of the Navajo Nation and will begin in January 2010.

navajo_nation_sealTom White, CFO of OneFi who is managing the project, said in a press release, “We are delivering the network to meet the broadband internet needs of the Navajo community and the installation will be a model for the other Native American communities.” OneFi officials said that the company would use the model developed with this project to expand its commitment to other Native American communities and rural areas. The contract is valued at $20 million when installed.

arraThe application made under the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) states that a fully redundant self healing hybrid WiMax / BPL broadband network will be developed.  The network architecture uses microwave delivered from the backbone to the local community. At the community level towers are installed so that WiMax can be broadcast throughout the total area. Base stations are used to receive and insert signal in power lines which deliver broadband to the user.

wimaxThe firm’s press release states that  OneFi is a WiMax company developing broadband networks that are capable of 4G (4th Generation) compatibility. OneFi Technology’s focus is on rural communities and developing countries. WiMax is a wireless technology for the delivery of broadband internet.

In an article om TMCNET it appears that the firm requires payment up front to start the job, “Once the company receives the funds, it said it will deploy its qualified engineers to the client’s area to lay out the project and complete engineering working drawings. They expect this step to be completed in 45-60 days.The next step is the installation, and OneFi estimates this to be completed within 60 – 90 days, depending on the complexity of the project.”

Apparently this type of arrangement did not work out very well for the City of Villa Park, CA.  In July 2008 OneFi installed a  WiMax-WiFi communications system in the city of Villa Park, Calif. The OneFi Technology networks broadband signal was to allow the citizens of Villa Park to access the internet at speeds up to 104 mbps. However, in March 2009 City staff recommended that the City Council terminate license agreement (with OnFi) based on lack of performance.
rb-
BPL still clings to life. Maybe they can make it work in the middle of the desert where the giant antenna effect doesn’t matter to much. The installing vendor seems to have a checkered financial and performance past.  We always take a look at the size of the firm compared to the size of the job. A job that is a reach for a firm may work out alright, but maybe not because of financing or manpower issues. Good luck to the Navajo and us as taxpayers since we are footing the bill for this project.
Category: BPL, Broadband, Recession | Tags: , ,
RB | September 26, 2009
No comments

Big Blue Props Up BPL

bplBig Blue continues to support Broadband over Powerline (BPL) as a way to close the broadband divide in rural areas.  According to an IBM Global Financing press release the division has established a financing agreement with DS2, a supplier of integrated chip technology for powerline vendor International Broadband Electric Communications’ Broadband over Powerline Regenerating Unit (BRU) smart boxes. The BRU’s are attached to an electric utility pole to provide high-speed Internet signals to residential customers via the electrical drop. IBEC is working with rural electric utility cooperatives to extend broadband access to ‘unserved’ customers mainly in the South, East and Midwest.

Tibm_logohis is not Big Blue’s first major BPL investment. Even as many industry pundits were reading BPL its last rites, IBEC signed a $9.6 million agreement with IBM to deploy BPL networks in Eastern U.S. electric cooperatives. The investment was heralded by the Utilities Telecom Commission (UTC) as a “major step forward in bringing broadband services to the residents of rural America.” At that time, IBM and IBEC said they were working with the Midwest Energy Cooperative to deliver broadband over powerline to area residents and businesses throughout the seven counties the utility serves.

rb-

Sounds to me like they are proping up their SmartGrid ecosystem in the upcoming battle with Cisco over the estimated $20 Billion a year electrical grid modernization market.

Category: BPL, Broadband, Networking | Tags: ,
RB | February 20, 2009
One comment

IBM Resurrects BPL

NetworkWorld has an article that proves that where there is money to be taken from the Federal Government, Never Say Never Again. According to the article, IBM has started building out broadband over powerline networks that the company says could provide broadband connectivity to 200,000 people living in rural areas.

IBM is building out the BPL networks as part of a $9.6 million deal that it signed last year with Alabama-based broadband provider International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) to expand broadband access to people living in rural areas that only have access to dial-up services. The companies currently plan to deploy BPL networks through seven electric cooperatives in Virginia, Michigan, Alabama and Indiana. Once operational, IBEC will serve as the cooperatives’ official ISP.

Bob Hance, CEO of the Michigan-based Midwest Energy Cooperative,  says his company decided to participate in the BPL network program after issuing a survey asking its customers whether they wanted to get broadband access through their electrical service. The survey results, Hance says, were overwhelmingly in favor of signing up for the broadband program. Within a week, the cooperative had a waiting list of 4,000 customers practically pleading for service. “We were amazed by the responses to the survey — thousands of letters from citizens of our community expressing their need for broadband in order to improve everything from childhood education to the future of their family-owned small businesses,” said Hance. “We shared nearly 600 of these letters with local legislators after we realized none of the major service providers were going to answer their calls for help. Thanks to the help of those legislators, IBM and IBEC were able to access the resources needed to help our community. In less than two weeks, we’ve already deployed 400 live miles with broadband access, or nearly 4,000 homes.” according to a a 02-19-09 press release from IBM and IBEC

IBM says in addition to bringing broadband connectivity to underserved areas, the new BPL connectivity will increase electric companies’ ability to monitor, manage and control the reliability of their electrical grids. Currently, electric cooperatives serve roughly 12% of the population in the United States and provide about 45% of the electrical grid. The give-away American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes $11 billion to be spent on ‘smart grid‘ systems to monitor and manage the nation’s electrical network.

Of course I may be overly cynical if I question the timing of the IBM announcement, just 24 hours after the $787 billion give-away American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed by President Obama. In case you hadn’t noticed the five pages entitled Division B— Title VI–Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (pages 398-402 of 407 pages) which authorizes the $7.2 billion to give-away stimulate the expansion of broadband networks into rural and underdeveloped areas in the country.

BPL so far has not caught on as a broadband technology in the United States. As of May 2008 there were  only 4,776 people in the United States subscribed to broadband over power line.

Category: BPL, Broadband, Networking |
RB | July 8, 2005
No comments

Google invests in powerline Internet

Google, Goldman and Hearst invest in powerline Internet company Current Communications Group (www.currentgroup.com). The firm provides Web access over electrical power lines and said it would use the financing to accelerate its deployment of voice, video and data services in domestic and global markets. The company declined to disclose financial terms of the investment, though the Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) reported that it approached $100 million.

Current’s service is available primarily in Cincinnati, Ohio, through a partnership with Cinergy Corporation (www.cinergy.com) with smaller deployments in Maryland and Hawaii.

“Clearly the technology is ready to be pushed into new markets and we are spending a great deal of our time trying to do that,” said Scott Bruce, managing director of Current and its major backer, Liberty Associated Partners. “It’s already commercial and ready for prime time.”

The technology has not gained significant traction yet among consumers, though, as it is not widely offered.

But Bruce said Google’s (www.google.com) investment in Germantown, Maryland-based Current fit right in with the Internet search giant’s philosophy of spreading Internet access.

“Our attraction for having a relationship with Google is sort of obvious. They’re interested in the proliferation of broadband generally,” he said.

Google said in a statement it was “very excited to have a relationship with Current Communications Group to help promote better access to the Internet.”

The company already has a number of deals with broadband providers for various content and search services, Comcast (www.comcast.com) among them.

A top Hearst executive said the investment fit in with the media company’s distribution strategy.

“We have an interest in delivering our content through the widest possible pipes,” said Ken Bronfin, president of interactive media for Hearst (www.hearst.com). “The idea of creating another delivery mechanism to the home, especially in underserved areas, is attractive.”

A spokesman for Goldman, Sachs and Co. (www.gs.com) confirmed the investment but declined further comment.

money.cnn.com/2005/07/07/technology/powerline_internet.reut/index.htm

Category: BPL, Broadband | Tags:
 

Switch to our mobile site