The technology PLC (Powerline Communications) is at present a great alternative to provide broadband access services to million of users. In addition, the technology allows the creation of "in-home" networks inside the houses of the users without the need of additional wiring.
Together with the advantage of using an already existing infrastructure (the distribution network of electric grid) it is added "the increase of reliability and transmission speed of the PLC devices offered nowadays by a considerable number of manufacturers" Sergio Cobos, Premo Group PLC R&D Engineer, affirms.
Different international organisations like CENELEC, ETSI, UPA, HomePlug Powerline Alliance, IEEE, OPERA or CEPCA work to provide a coexistence standard for access/in-home and in-home/in-home scenarios.
Cobos thinks the successful standard that allows coexistence between different PLC systems will need flexibility and simplicity, it must not harm or benefit to any of the different systems that coexist; it should have an easy implementation and be available to different PLC devices manufacturers.
According to ES 201 867 normative of the ETSI the easier implementation of a solution is to allow that every system operate independently, allocating the lower part of the spectrum (1.6-10MHz) to access applications, because " at low frequencies the problems of undesired radiation will be minor for what is advisable to assign the above mentioned part of the spectrum to access applications and the higher part of the spectrum (10-30MHz) to the in-home (using FDMA – Frequency Division Medium Access- to share the transmission medium)" he explains. This solution supposes a reliable and low complexity method to afford with limited cost the coexistence of different PLC systems.
Future solutions of coexistence might imply the "dynamical sharing of the available bandwidth between access and in-home applications, requiring an efficient control of bandwidth, priority, latency and others QoS (Quality of Services) parameters".
Nevertheless there’s a lot to do, in Cobos´s opinion " the coordination among different organisations will have to provide a standard that defines the coexistence methods for existent and future PLC applications (so much of access as in-home). It must be widely accepted by different PLC devices manufacturers, have enough simplicity and flexibility to allow PLC technology compete with the rest of in-home and access solutions of the market”.
PREMO PLC Components (Predan) is specialized in the manufacture of components and accessories for broadband access services (internet and video access) through the electrical network. This Spanish company is located in the Technological Park of Andalusia (Malaga), has 7 million Euros of euros.
Since 1998, has been the leader in the inductive sector for inmobilizers and remote tire pressure transmission systems. The company, under the trademark PREMO RFID Components, is growing more than 20 per cent year and it employs about 200 people (employees, machines manufacturers and sucontractors).