May 28, 20081
CONTACT:
MIKE SNYDER
703.907.7723
msnyder@tiaonline.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Issues Standard for Data
Modem Operating on Power Lines
New Standard Represents Potential Watershed for Broadband Accessibility
Arlington, Va. – The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leader in advocacy,
standards development, business development and intelligence for the information and
communications technology (ICT) industries, has developed a standard defining a data modem
that operates on electrical wiring – AC power lines – on user premises. TIA-1113 “MediumSpeed (up to 14 Mbps) Power Line Communications (PLC) Modems using Windowed
OFDM” could help revolutionize broadband-speed residential and networked Internet and
multimedia access, allowing electrical wires to serve as a conduit for both power and data for any
device.
The new standard, which was formulated under the cognizance of the TIA TR-30’s (Committee
on Multi-Media Access, Protocols and Interfaces) TR-30.1 (Subcommittee on Modems), is
the first global multi-megabit – broadband-class -- powerline communications standard approved
by an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited organization.
TIA-1113 defines the functions, operations and interface characteristics of a system for mediumspeed networking based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) using the
medium of power line wiring.
Standardization in the powerline communications industry is recognized as important because of
the number of devices in the market, more than 18 million to date, and the increasing growth of
this industry. The TIA subcommittee used contributions based on Homeplug1.0 powerline
technology to develop the standard. The technology, most widely used for in-the-home
broadband-speed communications and multimedia distribution, is also being deployed in to-thehome Internet access, hotels and commercial buildings, and on-the-grid energy-saving “green”
power and smart-grid implementations.
“The HomePlug Powerline Alliance applauds the publishing of this standard,” said Paul Dixon of
TIA member company Huawei Technologies, who serves as vice president of the HomePlug
Powerline Alliance. “We believe it augments our efforts toward global standardization for
powerline communications, a necessity as our industry grows and more consumers deploy these
networking solutions in their homes and offices.”
Companies participating in TR-30: ADTRAN, Airvana, Inc., Analog Devices, Inc., Anue
Systems, Berk-Tek, Broadcom Corp., Cisco Systems, Inc., Conexant Systems, Inc., CSI
Telecomm., FAL Associates, Flykees, Gemalto INC, Intel Corp., Intellon, LSI Corp., Mindspeed
Technologies, Motorola Inc., Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel Networks, PacketStorm Comm.,
Inc., Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., Sony Wireless Tech Div., Spirent Comm., Telchemy,
Inc., Telcordia Technologies, Texas Instruments, Inc., Westell Technologies, Inc.,
For technical information, please contact Ronda Coulter at rcoulter@tiaonline.org. For media
inquiries, please contact Mike Snyder at msnyder@tiaonline.org.
To obtain copies of the document, contact IHS International at 800.854.7179 or visit
http://global.ihs.com.
About TIA
Currently in its 84th year, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents the
global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards
development, advocacy, business opportunities, market intelligence and world-wide
environmental regulatory compliance. TIA enhances the business environment for thousands of
companies and individuals whose focus is broadband development and deployment (including
wireless and landline infrastructure and services), information technology (IT) for commercial or
residential application, Internet Protocol (IP) hardware, software and content solutions, and the
convergence of voice, video and data (“triple play”) applications and evolution.
TIA co-owns NXTcomm, the tradeshow serving the ICT industry; is accredited by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI); serves as the secretariat for the Third Generation
Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2); holds Board of Director positions on the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) TELECOM and USITO Boards; and hosts the USA pavilions in
ITU trade fairs worldwide.
More than 1,100 subject matter experts and other industry leaders participate in TIA’s 70+
standards committees and TIA has produced more than 1,150 standards documents. From
mobile and personal communications systems to fiber optics and cabling infrastructure, from
vehicular telematics and terrestrial mobile multimedia to healthcare ICT, TIA’s engineering
committees work to formulate positions and prepare international standards and reports for use
by industry and government.
In government affairs and international trade, hundreds of experts are at the table helping to
advance and advocate initiatives on behalf of the industry – projects such as advancing global
broadband deployment across wireline, wireless and cable platforms; advocating advanced
spectrum management; encouraging policies to enable information access for persons with
disabilities; seeking allocation of additional spectrum to advance wireless services and public
safety; facilitating market opportunities by promoting full, fair and open trade and competition in
international markets; and ensuring that the U.S. communications sector continues to be a leader
in advanced research.
On the environmental front, TIA’s EIATRACK subscription-based web service, on the Web at
www.eiatrack.com, enables companies to determine up-to-date information on environmental
compliance of their products in various regions around the world.
TIA’s Board of Directors includes senior-level executives from ACS, ADC, ADTRAN, AlcatelLucent, ANDA Networks, ArrayComm, AttivaCorp, Avaya, Bechtel Communications, Inc., Cam
Communications, Cisco Systems, Corning Incorporated, Ericsson, Inc., Graybar, Harris Stratex,
Henkels & McCoy, Intel Corporation, LGE, Microsoft, Motorola, Nortel, OneChip Photonics Inc.,
Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., Qualcomm, Research In Motion, Sumitomo Electric
Lightwave Corporation, Tellabs, Tyco Electronics, Ulticom, Inc., Verari Systems, Westell
Technologies, Inc. and Zebra Technologies Corporation. Advisors to the Board include FAL
Associates, ILS Technology, Orca Systems and Telcordia Technologies.
TIA membership enhances the ability of companies to prepare for the future of communications.
TIA brings people and businesses together by helping the industry overcome technical and
political barriers to communications. Visit www.tiaonline.org for details.
About the HomePlug® Powerline Alliance
The HomePlug Powerline Alliance, Inc. is an industry-led initiative established to create
specifications for home high-speed powerline networking products and command & control
among platforms within the home, and broadband access services to the home. The Alliance
accelerates demand for HomePlug-enabled products and services worldwide through the
sponsorship of market and user education programs. Membership in the Alliance has grown to
include more than 75 industry-leading companies. HomePlug Sponsor companies include Cisco
(CSCO); Comcast (CMCSK); GE Security, Inc., an affiliate of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE);
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; Intel Corporation (INTC); LG Electronics (Korea Stock Exchange:
6657.KS); Motorola (MOT); Sharp Laboratories of America; and Texas Instruments Incorporated
(NYSE:TXN) (TI). Contributor members include Arkados (OTCBB: AKDS); Conexant (CNXT);
Corporate Systems Engineering; Gigle Semiconductor; Intellon Corporation (ITLN); SPiDCOM
Technologies; and Yitran Communications Ltd. Additional information about the Alliance,
including a complete listing of certified products, is available at http://www.homeplug.org.
###