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HomePlug Powerline Alliance Invites Industry Professionals to Develop Standard for Broadband Powerline Technology (23/7/2004)

The Industry's Foremost Standards-Setting Body Begins Development of Market Requirements Document; Invites Input from Utilities, Network Operators, and Service Providers

HomePlug(R) Powerline Alliance, Inc., an industry consortium that creates specifications for high-speed powerline networking products and services, is inviting utility companies, service providers, network operators, technology developers and others to participate in the development process for a Broadband over Powerline (BPL) specification. As presented by HomePlug board members at the recent general meeting of the IEEE, the initial step in the process will be the creation of a HomePlug Market Requirements Document (MRD). The MRD will set the goals for the BPL specification, which will define the underlying technologies used to create products that deliver broadband communications to homes and businesses through existing power lines.

Having already developed and released HomePlug 1.0, the world's only standard for powerline communications, the Alliance is currently finalizing its specification for HomePlug AV, a high-speed networking technology designed specifically to meet the needs of digital multimedia networks in the home. Building on this foundation, the Alliance is expanding the scope of its development efforts into the BPL arena.

BPL has made headlines all over the world, largely through the efforts of various technology suppliers that deliver solutions to utility companies. Even President Bush lauded BPL in a recent speech on American Innovation.

Despite this success, market growth has been hampered, mainly because of the lack of an industry standard. By focusing on the market requirements, the HomePlug Alliance will ensure that the resulting standard will meet customer needs. "From the beginning, the HomePlug Alliance has focused on end customer needs," stated HomePlug president Oleg Logvinov, who is also president and CEO of Arkados, Inc. a subsidiary of CDKNet.com, Inc. (OTCBB:CDKN), "The customer of the technology must be involved in the early stages of the development process when expectations are set -- during the development of the MRD. This successful development process was used for HomePlug 1.0 in-home technology, and we've continued using that method to develop HomePlug AV for in-home audio/visual distribution. This is a winning practice that creates best-in-the-industry platforms for the successful development of technologies such as HomePlug BPL."

The invitation to participate in the Alliance's MRD efforts for BPL was first disclosed in June during a general meeting of the IEEE. The HomePlug Alliance's Board includes several service providers and they are leading the plans to create a harmonized specification that will allow to-the-home and in-the-home powerline technologies to work together. Interworking technologies offer benefits that few other technologies can provide, and the MRD development is the first step in that process.

"The possibilities are enormous," stated Pete Griffin, Director of Technology at RadioShack Corporation (NYSE:RSH) and Chairman of the HomePlug Alliance. "BPL, combined with the in-home HomePlug network, allows service providers to bridge the broadband gap for those people who have no desire to be networking specialists. Now everyone can enjoy the benefits of high-speed Internet access, digital entertainment, and a host of new services such as whole-house spam management and virus protection."

Working together with other industry organizations such as the IEEE, the HomePlug Alliance has already formed committees to drive the BPL specification forward. "Standards allowed the Internet to flourish," commented Earthlink's (Nasdaq:ELNK) Brian Wenger who is heading up the HomePlug BPL effort, "When no standard exists, customers hesitate, and the market growth slows. The Alliance's efforts could potentially turn every power outlet in the world into an Internet connection."

The BPL MRD development process is gaining momentum. As an open organization, all interested parties are invited to join the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, and contribute to the development of the specification.

www.homeplug.org