Internet over power lines

By agencies   |   Thursday, 24 November 2005, 20:30 IST   |    1 Comments
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NEW DELHI: If you donÂ’t have a telephone line or a cable connection for accessing the Internet, donÂ’t worry, still you will able to access high speed Internet using the power line reaching your home. The Government of India is formulating a policy to promote Broadband over Power Line as a part of the new telecom polity 2005. This would allow Internet data to be transmitted over utility power lines. To access this facility the subscribers has to install a modem that plugs into an ordinary wall outlet and pays a subscription fee similar to those paid for other types of Internet service. The technology is based on modulating high-frequency radio waves with the digital signals from the Internet. These radio waves are fed into the power grid at specific points. They travel along the wires and pass through the transformers to subscribersÂ’ homes and businesses. Not much modification is necessary to the utility grid to allow transmission of Broadband over Power Line. However, there are few issues that have to be standardized before consumers can benefit from it. For instance, they are not sure if the disorganized power infrastructure in the country will be able to transmit Internet without losing any data. This mode has been deployed in the U.S. and in few other countries, with varying results. According to experts, Broadband over Power Line represents an ideal solution for the rural areas. It is predicted that Broadband over Power Line revenue will increase from $57 million in 2004 to $4.4 billion by 2011. If the technology succeeds, it could be a cheaper alternative to the consumers wanting to reap the benefits of broadband.