After Google, IBM shows interest in Broadband on power line

After Google, IBM shows interest in Broadband on power line

Google in collaboration with Goldman Sachs and the Hearst Corporation recently invested around USD 100 million in Current Communications Group working towards implementing broadband Internet connectivity on power lines. Now the tech giant International Business Machines (IBM) has shown their own interest in this field of providing net through power lines.

The company is targeting to have an active presence in the BPL (broadband over power line) market. They have unveiled a detailed project to be undertaken in Houston in collaboration with CenterPoint Energy to offer several dozen of the utility’s customers power line broadband access. similar tests have been taken place in the past as well, though CenterPoint project is the first domestic project IBM has been involved with. This information was released to the media by the vice president of IBM’s global energy and utility group, Bernie Hoecker.

The trial area covers around 220 homes in south-west Houston of which 30 have already signed for this free trial program. The companies plan to get at least 50 test clients for their project to begin the program. It started last month and is expected to continue till the end of next month. Then, both the companies would compile their results and consider on a wider scale launch.

Don Cortez, CenterPoint’s vice president of BPL technology spoke to the media on why they chose to select the BPL method to test out their broadband services. He said that the technology has the potential to give utility companies greater insight into what’s happening on their electrical grids. He said: “What we’re trying to do is bring our grid into the 21st century. For us to be able to monitor and be able to see what’s happening in the grid, rather than just react to when it goes out – that’s huge.”

The company has not revealed the possible pricing of the services if they indeed go commercial with it. however, they expect them to be comparable to current rates prevailing in the United States for DSL and Cable connections. IBM on their part have said that they are pretty excited about the possibilities provided by the technology and aim to continue to work on it.