Best of the ISP-Lists

Anything But DSL

Members of the ISP-CLEC list search for broadband alternatives to digital subscriber line (DSL) technology. Even though it's nearly impossible to make money on DSL, the wired alternatives are mere nascent technologies.

[August 19, 2002]

On the ISP-CLEC list in August, DA queried,

"Has anyone thought about becoming a broadband power line carrier? Does the technology work? Is it a reasonable alternative to DSL?"

A number of respondents suggested that it has some serious problems:

[FG explained] "It's not viewed seriously in the U.S., for good technical reasons. On average, only eight homes are served by a single 'pole pig' transformer, so the scope of a power line carrier node is typically only eight houses or so: that does not pay. Contrast that with Europe, where household power is delivered at 240 Volts: their typical arrangement puts 200 houses on a transformer. The economics of a power line carrier (PLC) node are very different there. Yet it still has failed in the marketplace, so I'm not optimistic of its widespread acceptance."

[RB recalled] "Nortel had a joint venture with a British utility company called Norweb. They eventually closed the joint venture and sold it to a startup. The circuits were not secure, and interference was also a problem."

BS contended that the technology is improving, and will have a lot to offer:

"There are a number of trials being conducted, but all of them are confidential at this time. The technology will be commercially available in six months at the earliest. There are about a half a dozen systems suppliers developing systems. Almost all require transformer bypass. Europe is further along with these efforts, primarily in Spain and Italy. The Norweb trial was successful, but pointed out that they needed to invest in the next generation equipment. Nortel could not point to an immediate (12 month) ROI at that time, and so shut it down. They also did a trial with Sprint and Southern Power, which pointed out the viability of the system. Power line is coming, but it is not a panacea. It works well in most circumstances and not in the wrong ones."

Others discussed concerns about security:

[CF observed] "There's a lack of security related to running signals over widely visible, radiating copper wires. If you can go anywhere along a highline, point an antenna at it, and pick up data transmissions, that is fertile ground for data trolling."

[BS acknowledged] "Because power lines are a shared media, security is always a concern, so encryption is required."

[JR countered] "It's not that much more insecure than any ISP's T-1. About five years ago, I watched a T-1 line get 'jacked' just like you describe."

Still others looked at the legal issues:

[GR asked] "Are there any legal concerns related to running a system over the power company's lines without paying them money to use their infrastructure?"

[JR offered] "Most power companies use public right of ways: that should give us some rights."

[CF noted] "It's so far below the legal radar screen that it's invisible. I would be more worried about interference with someone next door doing the same thing, or being blocked by the guy down the block with his own personal network system."

FM suggested that it's a little early to be considering the technology as a serious alternative to DSL:

"In the search for broadband solutions, one should not look for a Swiss Army knife solution: one network that does it all. There are, in my opinion, much better, designed-for-the-purpose alternatives right now than power line distribution. Wireless is one of them and DSL is another."

— End