HomePlug® Powerline Alliance Selects Baseline Technology

Field Trials, Certification Lab on Horizon as Industry Leaders Move to Finalize 10 Mbps Powerline Networking Specification

5 Jun 2000

SAN RAMON, Calif., June 5, 2000 - The HomePlug® Powerline Alliance - 38 industry leaders working together to offer consumers a simple way to transform home electrical wiring into high-speed networks - announced today that it has chosen Intellon's high-speed powerline networking technology as the baseline upon which to build the alliance's first-generation specification.

The crucial first step in HomePlug's vision of the connected home, the baseline provides for a clear compatibility blueprint that will guide HomePlug's member companies as they work to realize the alliance's goal: the rapid development and adoption of cost-effective, interoperable home powerline networks and products. Recent field tests confirmed HomePlug's chosen baseline as one of the fastest, most reliable home networking technologies existing today. When finalized, the initial HomePlug specification will provide a sturdy, simple-to-use 10Mbps powerline networking standard to support a range of products for the gaming, consumer electronics, voice telephony and PC markets - a specification robust enough to address the needs of today's consumers and flexible enough to adapt to their demands tomorrow.

Founded in March 2000, by 13 major companies spanning technology sectors from silicon to software, the alliance has already grown to include 38 companies.

“We're excited and proud to announce that HomePlug has chosen a technology for the first generation specification effort,” said Alberto Mantovani, HomePlug president and strategic programs division director at Conexant Systems, Inc. “Barely two months into this collaboration, HomePlug is already moving rapidly to make networking almost any electronic device as simple as plugging in an alarm clock. We expect the alliance will gain members and momentum this year as it field-tests the chosen technology, finalizes the initial specification, and sets up a testing laboratory to certify HomePlug compliant products for the consumer market.”

“HomePlug has successfully accomplished the first essential steps in establishing marketplace acceptance for standards in high-speed home networking via powerlines,” said John Coons, vice president, e-Business Infrastructure, Gartner. “I applaud HomePlug's initiative and am particularly impressed with the speed and efficiency with which they are moving forward as an alliance.”

In late summer 2000, more than 500 consumer households will begin extensive field tests of products using HomePlug's baseline technology. Drawing on the results of those trials, HomePlug expects to finalize its initial 10Mbps technology specification by the fourth quarter of 2000 and will establish a HomePlug certification lab that will guarantee product compliance.

“Cisco has always believed that having a single specification would be crucial to developing a thriving market for bringing the Internet into the home by using powerline networking,” said Philip Hunt, vice president of HomePlug and senior manager at Cisco Systems. “As a global leader in Internet networking equipment, we remain committed to the HomePlug vision of a standards-based in-premise powerline network, and we're looking forward to working with the other HomePlug member companies as we finalize the specification and incorporate it into our plans.”

Filed: Jun 2000, Pilots, Powerline Networking, Press, VOIP, Co: Conexant, HomePlug, Intellon, Tech: None