OPERA produces BPL spec

A European-based group has issued the first open global specification for Broadband over Powerline (BPL) technology, a move which could potentially stimulate its deployment.

The Open PLC European Research Alliance, or OPERA, today announced approval of the specification, which has already been field tested in Europe by multiple power companies.

The specification was two years in the making and was developed by a consortium of industry specialists from 37 companies and 10 universities, according to OPERA. It already has the support of the European Commission, but is also expected to gain widespread acceptance in the U.S., said Chano Gomez, vice president of technology and strategic partnerships for semiconductor supplier DS2.

“We especially think it will have an impact with smaller power companies, who have been a little conservative and weren’t sure whether it was the right moment to go with BPL,” Gomez said. “We would expect to see companies going from small technical trials to broad-scale deployments.”

Much of the equipment already deployed in the U.S. and elsewhere is compatible with the new spec, Gomez said, although it will require field upgrades. “Anything deployed in the last six months is compliant with OPERA,” he said.

The European field trials have given the specification a thorough testing under many different field conditions, making it much more than a paper product, Gomez added.