Transcript Broadband over Powerline and the Smart Grid in Rural

"Broadband
over Powerline
and the Smart Grid in Rural
Telecommunications"
Frank Domoney
www.powerline-technologies.com
The Vision
To develop and market an advanced, scalable
telecommunication platform
….enabling operators in emerging economies to deliver a
comprehensive package of IP services
…..with minimal infrastructure investment
….by utilising the existing electricity power network
Emerging Economies
Telecom Issues
• Conventional telephony provision
requires big investment in new lines
• DSL is also based around the telephony
infrastructure
• Starting from a position of low
Teledensity both telephony and Internet
penetration are expensive to achieve
Difficult to justify backbone
development without adequate
subscriber base
The Roeller Waverman Equations
• The Output equation models the level of output (GDP) as a
function of the total physical capital stock net of telecoms
capital, the total labour force, a variable that captures the
extent of the “rule of law”, and the mobile telecoms
penetration rate.
• The Demand equation models the level of mobile telecoms
penetration as a function of income (the level of GDP per
capita), mobile price (revenue per mobile subscriber), and the
fixed-line price (which is revenue per fixed line subscriber).
• The Investment equation simplifies the Roeller-Waverman
“supply” and “investment” equations. It assumes that the
growth rate of mobile penetration depends on the price of
telecoms, the geographic area, and a time trend term.
Convergence
• Data and Voice
• Fixed and Mobile
• Telco and Electricity Company
– Energis
– Veba
• Telco and Railway Company
• Telco and Entertainment Company
• Telco and Municipal Authority
– Paris
– Vienna
• Telco and Electricity Company
– Quito
– Buenos Aires
Powerline Environment
Transf
ormer
Powerline History (courtesy Wikipedia)
• Broadband over power lines has developed faster in Europe
than in the United States due to a historical difference in
power system design philosophies. Power distribution uses
step-down transformers to reduce the voltage for use by
customers. But BPL signals cannot readily pass through
transformers, as their high inductance makes them act as
low-pass filters, blocking high-frequency signals.
• So, repeaters must be attached to the transformers. In the
U.S., it is common for a small transformer hung from a utility
pole to service a single house or a small number of houses.
In Europe, it is more common for a somewhat larger
transformer to service 10 or 100 houses.
Powerline History (2)
• For delivering power to customers, this difference in design
makes little difference for power distribution. But for
delivering BPL over the power grid in a typical U.S. city
requires an order of magnitude more repeaters than in a
comparable European city.
• On the other hand, since bandwidth to the transformer is
limited, this can increase the speed at which each household
can connect, due to fewer people sharing the same line. One
possible solution is to use BPL as the backhaul for wireless
communications, for instance by hanging Wi-Fi access points
or cellphone base stations on utility poles, thus allowing endusers within a certain range to connect with equipment they
already have.
Powerline History (3)
• The second major issue is signal strength and operating frequency. The
system is expected to use frequencies of 10 to 30 MHz, which has been
used for many decades by amateur radio operators, as well as
international shortwave broadcasters and a variety of communications
systems (military, aeronautical, etc.).
• Power lines are unshielded and will act as antennas for the signals they
carry, and have the potential to interfere with shortwave radio
communications. Modern BPL systems use OFDM modulation, which
allows to mitigate interference with radio services by removing specific
frequencies used.
• A 2001 joint study by the ARRL and HomePlug Powerline Alliance
showed that for modems using this technique "in general that with
moderate separation of the antenna from the structure containing the
HomePlug signal that interference was barely perceptible at the notched
frequencies" and interference only happened when the "antenna was
physically close to the power lines" (however other frequencies still
suffer from interference).
Manassas Trial
– In October 2005, the city of Manassas began the first wide-scale
deployment of BPL service in the US, offering 10 Mbit/s service for
under $30 USD per month to its 35,000 city residents, using
MainNet BPL technology.
– On June 16, 2006 FCC directed the Manassas BPL System to resolve
Amateurs' interference complaints. The FCC minced no words in
detailing what it wants the city and BPL operator COMTek to do to
ensure its system complies with Part 15 rules governing BPL systems
and even hinted that it may shut down all or part of the system.
US FCC Approval 3 August 2006
STATEMENT OF FCC CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN
• Re: Amendment of Part 15 regarding new requirements and
measurement guidelines for Access Broadband over Power Line
Systems; Carrier Current Systems, including Broadband over Power Line
Systems
• In this item, we build upon our previous efforts to facilitate deployment of
broadband over power line (BPL) systems while protecting existing spectrum
users from harmful interference. It is my hope that our rules will allow BPL
systems to flourish. This technology holds great promise as a ubiquitous
broadband solution that would offer a viable alternative to cable, digital
subscriber line, fiber, and wireless broadband solutions. Moreover, BPL has
unique advantages for home networking because consumers can simply plug a
device into their existing electrical outlets to achieve broadband connectivity.
Promoting the deployment of broadband continues to be one of our top
priorities and today’s action is another step towards reaching that goal.
Standards
• IEEE P1901 Effort Still in Negotiations 13 Oct 2008)
• IEEE P1901 refers to the draft standard for "Broadband over
Power Line Networks: Medium Access Control and Physical
Layer Specifications." The second confirmation vote for the IEEE P1901
In-Home proposal portion took place in Spain in the attempt to attain the 75
percent needed for passage. The confirmation was missed by a few votes (69
percent), which was short of the 75 percent needed. Apparently, some of the
voting proxies were not included in the voting outcome, because last-minute
changes again occurred to the proposal, and the procedure dictates that
proxies cannot be used if changes are made to the proposal after proxies are
cast. It is difficult to say if their inclusion would have changed the outcome or
not.
DS2 and their Chipsets
• VALENCIA, Spain March 14 2008-- DS2, the leading technology
innovator and global supplier of high-speed powerline communications
technology today announced that a proposal originally co-authored by
UPA, CEPCA and other IEEE members was selected last week as the
single proposal for an eventual coexistence mechanism for access and in
home Powerline Communications applications. The proposal which DS2
supported was approved in the IEEE P1901 Working Group (WG)
process towards developing a baseline specification for Powerline
Communications.
• One of the most important advantages of the coexistence proposal is to
ensure that access systems deployed by power companies or service
providers can share resources with any in-home system deployed in the
same area. The proposal enjoyed significant consensus from the WG.
Electricity Network
HV Transmission >40Kv up to 100’s Kv
HV - MV
Substation
MV Distribution 1Kv up to 40Kv
Distribution
Transformer
MV Distribution 1Kv up to 40Kv
MV-LV
Transformer
MV - LV
Substation
LV Distribution 110v – 440v
Distribution Node
MV-LV
Transformer
Customer’s
Premises
LV Distribution 110v – 440v
Customer’s Premises
Customer Service Line
Customer’s
Premises
Customer’s
Premises
Current PowerGate Access Technology
HV Transmission
PowerGate 1001
MV Modem/Repeater
HV - MV
Substation
MV Distribution
200Mbit/s Max Throughput
PowerGate 1001
LV Repeater
Distribution
Transformer
MV - LV
Substation
Distribution Node
LV Distribution
Management
Software
PowerGate Commander
Customer’s
Premises
Customer’s Premises
PowerGate 1001
LV Head-end Modem
Customer Service Line
PowerGate 102
CPE
Customer’s
Premises
Customer’s
Premises
PowerGate 101
CPE
Customer Premises Equipment and Head
End
KEY FEATURES
Provides low cost CPE
option for service
providers requiring only
data service access
Compact “plug in the
wall” design with
integral 10/100
Ethernet port
Customer Premises Equipment
Comprehensive QoS
architecture supports
data, VoIP and other
IP media types
Ethernet, USB and
analogue phone
connections
Head End
200 Mbit/s physical
layer throughput
Can act as Head-end,
TDM repeater or
FDM repeater
(two devices)
Supports data, VoIP and
other media types with
comprehensive QoS
architecture
Integral 802.1d
Bridge
Ethernet 10/100 interface
Future
• 400 Mbps Chips
• IPTV
• Adaptive Notching
Providing the Backhaul
• BPL is an excellent solution for the final customer hop
• But…
• Need to connect effectively and economically to the national
network
• Conventional solution is to use BPL on the MV line MV line
MV Backhaul Challenges
• Much more expensive than LV only
– Repeater needed every 300-500m
– Expensive couplers ($1000s vs. $10s for LV)
• Speeds and latency are issues
– 2-3Km limit for VoIP
– Reduces overall performance for user
• Design and deployment are complex
– Potential interference with LV
Hybrid Fibre Powerline (HFP) Overview
• New solution which combines BPL with
fibre
• BPL is used on LV only
• Aerial fibre optic cable on MV poles
provides backhaul
• Optimised for use with electricity
systems based on overhead poles
• Use MV pole wayleave as key asset
• BPL to consumers can be combined
with direct fibre services for business
customers
• Unused fibres provide “dark fibre”
business opportunity
HFP Schematic
Existing MV Cables
New Aerial Fibre Cable
HFP Distribution Box
Existing FDT
}
To LV
Subscribers
HFP vs. MV BPL Backhaul
MV
HFP
Active repeater needed every 500m
Up to c.100Km without repeaters
Limits bandwidth available in LV cells
Full 200Mbits/s raw bandwidth in all
LV cells
High latency limits VoIP deployment
Low latency
Requires complex design &
installation
Simple design & installation
Low bandwidth (< 80 Mbit/s)
High Bandwidth (Gb/s)
ADSS Fibre
•
•
•
•
Mature optical technology >15 years old
100,000s of Km already installed
Good team can install 8-10Km per day
Installation requires only craft level skills
– With training can use local labour
BTs Next Generation Network
Designing the Core Network
• MetroWAND
• Plan Ring and Mesh Architecture.
Highly efficient network design algorithms.
Design rules incorporates fibre topology, traffic demands and equipment
constraints.
Quick analysis of "what-if" scenarios.
Optical link layer performance estimations.
Failure analysis with rerouting options.
Customize Vendor equipment library.
• Can incorporate both Powerco and Telco links to establish a
mesh
Testing the Robustness of the Design
• Artifex
• Design and simulate discrete event systems using the Petri Net
formalism.
Graphical language object oriented and event driven ensures scalability
to high degrees of complexity.
Integrated platform with tools to create, validate, simulate, measure and
deploy the system.
Dynamic visualization of events and states supports Iterative model
development.
Real-time and virtual-time simulation with full user control of model's
execution.
Simulation data analysis and representation.
Automatic ANSI C and C++ code generation to build custom simulators
and control software.
Networking tool-kit for protocol simulations.
Converged Processes: Integrated
System View
TMF eTOM Process Map
Telecommunications Application Map
Converged Billing
• A future-proof and flexible solution for offering converged services is a
necessity for operators who are invested in the next stage of
telecommunications. Establishing a convergent operator to win the
customer’s entire communications budget is one way of dealing with this
situation and ensuring undisturbed streams of revenue. However,
convergence in telecommunications is becoming increasingly complex.
• Currently the following types of convergence affect operators:
• • Line of business – fixed/mobile
• • Payment methods – prepaid / post-paid
• • Customer segments – business / private
• • Processing – real-time / near-real-time / online
• • Event / session type – voice / IP / content
• • Network – IMS-enabled /PSTN / GSM / 3G mobile / NGN …
• • Business model – retail / wholesale / MVNO
Smart Grid
•
•
•
•
SmartGrids:
Enhancing grid flexibility & robustness
• Create a toolbox of proven technical solutions
• Establish interfacing capabilities that will allow new
designs of grid equipment and new automation/control
arrangements to be successfully interfaced with existing,
traditional, grid equipment;
• Ensure harmonisation of Regulatory and Commercial
frameworks in Europe to facilitate cross-border
trading of both power and grid services
Infrastructure Monitoring
• Kenya Power and Light company have £4 million pounds of
annual damage from thieves and vandals.
• Adding intelligence to the network allows active surveillance
and reaction.
Metering
• IBERDROLA launches a new open, public and
standard telecommunications architecture for
Smart Metering and Smart Grids
• IBERDROLA is coordinating the PRIME project, with the
objective of developing an AMI infrastructure for automatic
meter management that is public, open and standard
• Many companies have joined efforts to launch a new public,
open and non-proprietary telecommunications
architecture that will support the new AMM functionality
and enable the building of the electricity networks of the
future, or SmartGrids.
Business Models
• Powerco as Telco competes with incumbent Telco
• Powerco rents medium to Mobile Co or ISP as fixed
extension.
– Example Cysca and Edenor in Buenos Aires. Cysca pay Edenor 2% of
annual revenue and 10% of profits.
• Powerco and Incumbent Telco maintain Monopoly on
Telecoms
• Thank you for your Interest.
• I am happy to take questions.
• My email address is
• [email protected]
• My Mobile number is +44 7887 804660
• www.powerline-technologies.com