HomePlug® Powerline Alliance Announces Third Annual Member Conference

“The Network Behind the Power Outlet” Promises to Provide New Insight on the Development and Distribution of Future Power Line Networking Products

26 Aug 2002

SAN RAMON, Calif., August 26, 2002 - The HomePlug® Powerline Alliance, an industry consortium established to provide a forum for the development of an open specification of home power line networking products and services, today announced that its third annual member conference, “HomePlug: The Network Behind the Power Outlet,” will be held in Napa Valley, California on October 23-24.

This year's fast-paced program will give members exclusive access to industry leaders and insight on important trends. Conference attendees will hear first-hand about new developments in power line networking and the implications for their businesses.

The intimate, invitation-only conference will focus on the complete home connectivity market, including regulatory issues, the needs of service providers and retailers, and new products that enable consumers to plug in to any electrical outlet and immediately have a high-speed network. The first day of the conference will be open to non-members by invitation, while the second day is designed for HomePlug Powerline Alliance members only.

“This is a distinct opportunity for HomePlug to create greater value for our members by providing substantive industry content, while giving them a venue to engage with other influential leaders in the home networking industry,” said Tom Reed, president of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance. “We look forward to a productive conference, which will showcase the Alliance's overall direction, including our plans to reach service providers, retailers and consumers with innovative, high performance home networking products.”

Conference Highlights

Planned topics for this year's conference include the government's role on broadband rollout with an opening keynote address planned by the FCC. Also, Michael Wolf, Director of In Stat/MDR, will present new home networking research from his latest studies, “Chips Ahoy: Home Networking Chipsets Set Sail for a Prosperous Future,” August 2002 and “Follow the Leader: A Survey and Analysis of Advanced Home Network Users,” June 2002. Additional forums include roundtables with consumers and retailers on the array of available home networking products and presentations on future cable services and the business of home networking in the retail store.

Members who attend the sessions on October 24 will receive an advance look at development initiatives from the Open Service Gateway Initiative, Universal Plug and Play Forum and Cable Home, each of which may have implications on future HomePlug products. The close of the conference will feature a look at HomePlug's future product direction.

For more information on the conference or to request and invitation, visit www.homeplug.org

Filed: Aug 2002, BPL, Events, Powerline Networking, Press, Co: FCC, HomePlug, UPnP Forum, Tech: None