First specification of standard formalises powerline communications

22 March 2006 News

The Open PLC European Research Alliance (Opera) today announced the development and approval of the first open global specification for Powerline Communications (PLC) access, also known as Broadband over Powerline (BPL).

This specification will accelerate mass rollout of high-speed, low-cost, broadband access, voice and audiovisual services, as well as utility applications for control and management operations. Technology from Spanish chipmaker Design of Systems on Silicon (www.ds2.es) was selected as the baseline for the specification.

The Opera specification provides a baseline for both PLC access technology as well as in-building applications, where powerline technology extends existing backbone technologies such as fibre-to-the-home (FTTx), DSL and coax.

After two years of development, a consortium of industry specialists supported by the European Commission, developed the specification based on a marketing and functional requirement blueprint ratified by Opera (www.ist-opera.org). The Powerline Utility Alliance (PUA), which includes leading international utility companies, designed the blueprint to cover all grid characteristics and to address global regulatory and industrial parameters.

The new specification provides for interoperability for non-Opera technologies by means of a co-existence mechanism. This unique feature also guarantees that future versions of Opera technology will be compatible with today's specifications, smoothing the way for investment in the technology.

The Opera PLC specification will be promoted through international standardisation organisations, including IEEE and ETSI.

Further reading:

Altron celebrates 60th birthday with a call to rebuild Johannesburg
Altron Arrow News
Altron is celebrating its 60th birthday by honouring Johannesburg’s heritage and encouraging business, government and civil society to come together and respond to our President’s call to rebuild Johannesburg.

Read more...

---

Electronic News Digest
News
A brief synopsis of current global news relating to the electronic engineering fields with regards to company finances, general company news, and engineering technologies.

Read more...

---

Jemstech to produce PCB assemblies for Kamstrup
Jemstech News
Jemstech is pleased to announce that they have successfully concluded a supplier agreement with Kamstrup A/S in Denmark, a leading supplier of intelligent metering solutions in the global market.

Read more...

---

New appointments at Hiconnex
Hiconnex News
Hiconnex, a leading provider of electronic components and solutions, has announced key appointments to support its continued growth and commitments to its clients.

Read more...

---

FoundriesFactory service more affordable for smaller OEMs
News
Foundries.io has announced a new, tiered pricing scheme which reduces the cost of its highly regarded FoundriesFactory service for OEMs in the development phase of a new edge AI or Linux OS-based product.

Read more...

---

DMASS 2024 results
News
The semiconductor business faced a severe downturn, with a 31,9% decrease compared to 2023 and a 30,3% drop in Q4 2024 compared to the same period last year.

Read more...

---

Using satellite comms to end copper theft
News
According to Transnet COO Solly Letsoalo, the scourge of copper theft could be a thing of the past by eliminating the use of copper cabling and switching to a satellite communication system.

Read more...

---

Strategic merger: Etion Create and Nanoteq
Etion Create News
Reunert has announced the successful merger of two business units within the Applied Electronics Segment, namely Etion Create and Nanoteq, effective 1 October 2024.

Read more...

---

Securex South Africa 2025
Specialised Exhibitions News
Securex South Africa 2025 is co-located with A-OSH EXPO, Facilities Management Expo, and Firexpo to provide a time-saver for visitors looking for holistic solutions for their facilities.

Read more...

---

Chinese AI causes Silicon Valley stocks to tumble
News
Many stocks took a downward spike, with Nvidia being the hardest hit, losing 16,9% after one day’s trading.

Read more...

---