Da-Chief
03-21-2008, 13:30
http://i.dslr.net/urls/84/2184.gif (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/DirecTV-Current-Offer-Broadband-Over-Powerline-92853)
DirecTV and Current Communications have started offering broadband over powerline (BPL) connectivity to some 130,000 homes in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. According to the Dallas Morning News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/032108dnbusdirectv.3b03899.html), packages range from symmetrical 1.5 Mbps service for $20 a month, to symmetrical 8Mbps service for $35 a month. Given that the service required new energy meters to be installed at every home, the installation wasn't cheap -- and a lack of new meters seems to have delayed network construction:The cost of installing the first 300,000 meters around Dallas was expected to run about $450 million, but that projection was made before a decision to switch to more capable meters this year. The need for new meters has stopped network construction while Current waits for the upgraded devices to be designed, approved and mass-produced.
BPL hardware vendors have spent years issuing empty promises after struggling with wireless interference complaints and the nagging fact that many utilities simply don't want to be broadband providers. This is the first interesting new deployment (ultimately aiming for 2 million users) we've seen in some time. No word yet on whether the network is interfering with emergency and ham radio frequencies (something the article omits).
It still doesn't appear that BPL, once called the "great broadband hope (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/41546)" by the FCC, will ever be more than a niche solution in areas with gutsy utility operators. We've seen companies like Current shift their sales pitch to utilities from broadband connectivity to smart power grid management (http://www.currentgroup.com/how/index.html) in order to survive. DirecTV has invested in BPL (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/83811) as one of several ways to offer broadband. They're also teaming up with Clearwire to explore WiMax.
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DirecTV and Current Communications have started offering broadband over powerline (BPL) connectivity to some 130,000 homes in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. According to the Dallas Morning News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/032108dnbusdirectv.3b03899.html), packages range from symmetrical 1.5 Mbps service for $20 a month, to symmetrical 8Mbps service for $35 a month. Given that the service required new energy meters to be installed at every home, the installation wasn't cheap -- and a lack of new meters seems to have delayed network construction:The cost of installing the first 300,000 meters around Dallas was expected to run about $450 million, but that projection was made before a decision to switch to more capable meters this year. The need for new meters has stopped network construction while Current waits for the upgraded devices to be designed, approved and mass-produced.
BPL hardware vendors have spent years issuing empty promises after struggling with wireless interference complaints and the nagging fact that many utilities simply don't want to be broadband providers. This is the first interesting new deployment (ultimately aiming for 2 million users) we've seen in some time. No word yet on whether the network is interfering with emergency and ham radio frequencies (something the article omits).
It still doesn't appear that BPL, once called the "great broadband hope (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/41546)" by the FCC, will ever be more than a niche solution in areas with gutsy utility operators. We've seen companies like Current shift their sales pitch to utilities from broadband connectivity to smart power grid management (http://www.currentgroup.com/how/index.html) in order to survive. DirecTV has invested in BPL (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/83811) as one of several ways to offer broadband. They're also teaming up with Clearwire to explore WiMax.
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/DirecTV-Current-Offer-Broadband-Over-Powerline-92853)
More...