Itsme
07-13-2005, 12:59 PM
Houston Tries 'Power-ful' Internet
HOUSTON, July 11, 2005
(CBS/AP) About 30 residents of Houston connect to the Internet by plugging a computer modem into power outlets in their homes, testing technology that advocates say could compete with DSL or cable-modem broadband service.
The residents use the same system to make phone calls over the Internet. They are customers of Houston-based CenterPoint Energy Inc., the latest utility to test the technology.
It's called Broadband over Power Line or BPL, says CBSNews.com Technology Consultant Larry Magid, and it uses the power grid to deliver data along with electricity. Just as phone and cable wires have excess capacity not needed to carry voice or TV, power lines have enough headroom to deliver data as well.
The experiment has been under way since June and will run through August, officials said. CenterPoint and partner IBM Corp. were scheduled to disclose the project Monday.
The technology could speed the sending of large files such as photographs contained in e-mail messages because so-called upload speeds are generally faster than through DSL or cable modem. It could also allow the remote monitoring of security systems and thermostats.
More importantly, laying new fiber wires is incredibly expensive, says Magid, costing well over $1,500 per home for new wiring, according to AT&T estimates.
CenterPoint, however, is more interested in saving money by automating the labor-intensive job of reading electric and gas meters. About 60,000 customers move every month, requiring somebody to hook up or disconnect service, said Tom Standish, the company's president of Houston electric and information technology.
HOUSTON, July 11, 2005
(CBS/AP) About 30 residents of Houston connect to the Internet by plugging a computer modem into power outlets in their homes, testing technology that advocates say could compete with DSL or cable-modem broadband service.
The residents use the same system to make phone calls over the Internet. They are customers of Houston-based CenterPoint Energy Inc., the latest utility to test the technology.
It's called Broadband over Power Line or BPL, says CBSNews.com Technology Consultant Larry Magid, and it uses the power grid to deliver data along with electricity. Just as phone and cable wires have excess capacity not needed to carry voice or TV, power lines have enough headroom to deliver data as well.
The experiment has been under way since June and will run through August, officials said. CenterPoint and partner IBM Corp. were scheduled to disclose the project Monday.
The technology could speed the sending of large files such as photographs contained in e-mail messages because so-called upload speeds are generally faster than through DSL or cable modem. It could also allow the remote monitoring of security systems and thermostats.
More importantly, laying new fiber wires is incredibly expensive, says Magid, costing well over $1,500 per home for new wiring, according to AT&T estimates.
CenterPoint, however, is more interested in saving money by automating the labor-intensive job of reading electric and gas meters. About 60,000 customers move every month, requiring somebody to hook up or disconnect service, said Tom Standish, the company's president of Houston electric and information technology.