IEEE 1901 Specification Succeeds in First Sponsor Ballot, Ratification in September

Last Friday (April 9, 2010), the results for the first sponsor ballot of the IEEE 1901 Draft Standard came in with over 80% of voting entities approving. This sets the stage for ratification in the Fall of the first global powerline networking standard by a major Standards Development Organization (SDO).

With 1901 joining other highly successful IEEE networking standards (such as 802.3 for Ethernet and 802.11 for WLAN), powerline networking enters a new phase of performance and possibilities. Now, retail vendors, service providers and Smart Grid companies can move powerline product development rapidly forward resting on the firm foundation of a global standard that ensures product interoperability and with the added benefit of full backwards compatibility with the millions of HomePlug AV-based products already in the market today. 
 
This is likely the most significant step in the history of the powerline industry to date and will, no doubt, spur worldwide adoption of this technology.

It is noteworthy that no other standard as complicated as 1901 has ever passed this IEEE milestone (>75 percent acceptance) in a first pass sponsor ballot. This is strong evidence of the maturity of the technology and the very widespread support within the industry.

This extraordinary outcome is due in great part to the very thorough and significant effort put forth by the Working Group and involved member companies. To begin, they performed the hard and tedious work to develop the market requirements for access, in-home and smart energy portions of the standard. Many stakeholders – utilities, service providers, OEMs/ODMs and silicon manufacturers – provided invaluable input and worked tirelessly to improve the underlying technology throughout the process.

Following the requirements process, detailed technical proposals from all the key technology providers were gathered and carefully reviewed and analyzed, including performing simulations and field testing. New inventions were made along the way, some of which were significant breakthroughs for the powerline industry that were later adopted by other SDOs.

Each technical proposal was evaluated by the group, and underwent thorough technical scrutiny, technical evaluations, and simulations. Decisions were based on technical superiority and relevance to market requirements. More than 3000 comments were received during the letter ballot process, and each and every one of them was addressed by the group to improve the specifications.

During the sponsor ballot process, more comments have been received. Many of these represent opportunities to further improve the current specification. The plan is to get the document ready to be sent to REVCOM in August. If this timetable is met, it will be an unprecedented event in terms of the speed with which such a group has readied a specification of this scope and complexity.

It’s hard to overestimate the importance of the 1901 standard for powerline networking, and the hard work and dedication of the many companies and individuals who’ve worked so hard for this well-earned milestone.

Congratulations to all!

P. Raj

HomePlug Powerline Technology Proves its IPTV Mettle

The 2010 IPTV World Forum in London offers a proving ground for the technologies that help solve this problem: "How do I get a broadband signal to my television?"

A lot of people have been asking this question -- especially business analysts. 

• Parks Associates has uncovered that 36% more US households are connecting PCs to TVs with more than 75% using that connection to watch online videos 
• iSuppli notes that Internet-enabled TVs (IETVs) are the fastest-growing approach to access the web on a television
• InStat conducted research pointing to over one-half billion web-enabled consumer electronic devices in operation by 2013

The difficulties with using wireless technologies for streaming media has been well documented, but HomePlug technology, with its reliable and robust "hard-wired" approach and no need to install new wiring, provides a perfect solution for IPTV and other web-based services.

In his letter to the delegates at IPTV World Forum 2010, HomePlug president Rob Ranck noted, "With dozens of service providers already deploying HomePlug powerline networking products, HomePlug has truly become a proven choice for IPTV home networking." 

HomePlug member companies exhibiting at IPTV World Forum included Atheros, Devolo AG, LEA, and Sigma Designs, Inc.

Ranck concluded, "This underscores the reality of HomePlug powerline technology – it’s all about having multiple vendors competing in the market with interoperable products. This benefits both service providers and end-customers." 


 

CeBIT 2010: HomePlug Continues its Market Leadership

The fairgrounds at the Deutsche Messe in Hannover, Germany are quieter now, but the buzz about the HomePlug Pavilion at CeBIT 2010 is still on the lips of those who made the trip.

It's fitting that Europe, the largest market for HomePlug-certified products, was also hosting one of the largest displays the HomePlug alliance has ever built -- a clear indication of the growing business of powerline communications and HomePlug's dominance of the market.

It was at CeBIT 2010 that breaking news began to circulate that IEEE 1901, the global powerline standard that is interoperable with HomePlug AV technology, was on its way to a Sponsor Ballot, the final stage in the IEEE's process for establishing a standard.

With the HomePlug alliance celebrating its 10th anniversary in April 2010, it's amazing to map the progress of a technology that many believed was an impossible dream just ten years ago. Some say if powerline communications technology were perfected earlier, that many other wired technologies simply wouldn't be needed. With physical data rates nearly doubling with each revision, HomePlug powerline technology is now mentioned in the same breath as WiFi and Ethernet.

At CeBIT 2010, the HomePlug alliance built an impressively sized pavilion and invited their members to participate. A prominent location in Hall 13 of the mile-square Duetsche Messe  campus spawned a planning process taking nearly a year. By the time the doors to CeBIT opened, the HomePlug Pavilion reflected its market position; it was an imposing presence replete with meeting rooms, sitting areas, a place for press and media to view presentations and take interviews -- even the "HomePlug Bar" to entertain visitors.

In another example of the value that HomePlug products offer service providers, T-Home, the division of Deutshe Telekom focused on Broadband and Fixed Networks, introduced its first HomePlug AV products called Speedport Powerline 100. Over 30 service providers globally use HomePlug products in their rollout of IPTV, whole-house internet sharing, and a host of other services.   

Displaying the latest solutions and the newest HomePlug-certified products to hit store shelves were HomePlug member companies Atheros, GigaFast, Gigle Networks, LEA, and SPiDCOM Technologies. devolo AG -- the world's market-leading manufacturer of HomePlug products, rounded out the pavilion with a display of their best-selling HomePlug dLAN products for both residential and business use.

Among the news that always accompanies an event of CeBIT's magnitude were announcements and demonstrations of new ultra high-speed products from Netgear and devolo AG. The new adapters are interoperable with both HomePlug AV technology, and the upcoming IEEE P1901 standard. 

Germany's devolo AG also introduced adapters that provide a simple way to combine wireless and powerline networks, solutions for directly connecting USB devices, and the first set-top box for digital satellite television that uses the power lines to connect between the satellite antenna and the set-top box.

With all the various applications of HomePlug technology shown at CeBIT, the news that HomePlug AV technology is destined to become a worldwide standard through the IEEE, and the wide variety of companies and products that support HomePlug technology, it's no wonder that the technology world is continuing to line up behind HomePlug!

IEEE 1901 Specification Moves to Sponsor Ballot!!!

In Santa Monica, few weeks back, the IEEE P1901 group took a critical step towards publication of the final specifications. The group resolved all the comments that were submitted, and approved the specifications for sponsor ballot. More than 95% of the group agreed to initiate the sponsor ballot process, reflecting the groups’ confidence in the maturity and completeness of the specification. Click here to see the press release from IEEE.

The IEEE P1901 group is driven by its members. Using a formal open process that ensures the specification considers the input of each and every member participating in the group, the group ensures the specifications developed incorporate the expertise of all members who understand and appreciate the market and the technology, while also providing them with ownership of the specification. This process guarantees the success of the final specification.

The IEEE P1901 members reflect the unparalleled diversity of powerline communications technology itself -- including smart grid players, silicon manufacturers, service providers, ODMs, OEMs, CE manufacturers, in-home technology players, access technology players, and transportation technology players. Progressing the specification towards sponsor ballot, and receiving approval from all these varied stakeholders, speaks volumes about the quality of the specifications.

IEEE 1901 technology is already in the marketplace. At CES 2010, Atheros announced chipsets based on IEEE 1901. IEEE 1901 chipsets have also been announced by Gigle Networks, Arkados, and STMicroelectronics.

Manufacturers like devolo, Netgear, Belkin, and Monster already have products planned based on IEEE 1901 technology.

It's clear the PLC industry is converging around IEEE 1901 technology... 

• 4 silicon manufacturers have already announced chipsets
• 4 ODMs already have products based on IEEE 1901

This is just the beginning and more good news is to follow.

Thanks

P.Raj