Singapore utility starts power line Net trials

David Legard, IDG News Service\Singapore Bureau
November 03, 2000, 23:38

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Singapore Power has become the first power utility in Southeast Asia to trial PLC (Power Line Communication) technology, which can offer broadband Internet access through normal power lines, the company said in a statement Thursday.

The PLC technology can use existing electric cables and the household wiring network to transmit data with throughput rates now reaching 3M bps (bits per second). All the consumer needs to have is a PLC adapter/modem connected to an electric socket, Singapore Power said.

The trial, to be carried out at Singapore Polytechnic, will include Internet access, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), multimedia services, home automation and energy management, according to the statement.

PLC technology combines several advantages, Singapore Power said. These include:

-- no additional installation of cables, as PLC uses existing power lines and sockets

-- computers can be connected to any main supply socket in a building via a special adaptor/modem

-- high transmission rate at several M bps

-- always-on access to the Internet, no dial-up required

-- the ability to set up a local area network without complicated wiring

The trial will last one year, using PLC equipment from Switzerland's Ascom Powerline Communications. The throughput speed of the network will be gradually increased to 4M bps per cable, according to the statement. Future systems may achieve capacities of 10M bps per cable as PLC developers improve the technology, Singapore Power said.

More than a dozen other utility companies, located mainly in Europe, are conducting similar trials, Singapore Power said.

Singapore Power can be contacted via the Web at http://www.spower.com.sg.