Another big name in technology has invested in the potential offered by broadband over power line services.
IBM and its new partner, CenterPoint Energy of Houston, will establish a trial of broadband delivery over power lines (BPL). The two companies have planned to set up a technology center in Houston to demonstrate the service.
CenterPoint will begin a test of about 220 homes soon, and conduct that test through August. The proposal poses a very low barrier to entry to testers: plug an adapter into an electric outlet, connect your computer to the adapter, and enjoy instant broadband access.
BPL offers the potential to instantly turn any home or office with existing electrical wiring into a broadband capable place. This potential has caused cable and telecom lobbyists to approach state legislatures and attempt to coerce them to pass laws banning communities from implementing BPL.
Last week, Google and two investment firms added around $100 million USD to Germantown, MD-based Current, another nascent BPL provider. Current has a commercial implementation of its technology in place with Cincinnati’s Cinergy Corp, offered to customers in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Utility companies see a lot of potential for BPL, beyond providing broadband Internet services like Voice over IP or video on demand. Through “smart grid” technology, a utility can remotely read a meter and detect outages as they happen.
“These ‘smart grid’ technologies should result in improved system reliability, service and safety for electric customers,” said Don Cortez, CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric vice president responsible for BPL Development.
President George W. Bush, who has expressed his hope for universal, affordable broadband access by 2007, and various state regulators are working to encourage deployment of broadband services, and specifically BPL.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
