FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HD-PLC Alliance Certifies Powerline Network Products Complying to
Recently Ratified IEEE 1901 Standard
Fukuoka, Japan – November, 1 – HD-PLC Alliance, the world leader of the promotion of powerline communication
products, today announced its certification program for Wavelet OFDM-based powerline network products complying to
the new IEEE1901 BPL PHY and MAC standard recently approved by the IEEE-SA Standards Board.
The HD-PLC Alliance and its members are now accelerating the wide adoption among multiple, global industries—
consumer products, transportation systems, and Smart Grid systems.
The certification program newly provided by HD-PLC Alliance is for IEEE1901 compliant devices. The certification tests
include required PHY performance and compatibility tests with all HD-PLC products. In addition to these certification tests,
the program provides certification to the coexistence specification, also known as Inter-System Protocol (ISP) in
IEEE1901. This same coexistence protocol was also approved as ITU-T G.9972 as of June 2010.
“This is a tremendous achievement for the PLC industry and for the global communication markets”, said Michimasa
Aramaki, president and chair of HD-PLC Alliance. “Under the slogan GREEN UBIQUITOUS chosen from the outset as a
guiding principle of the Alliance, HD-PLC Alliance not only certifies IEEE1901-compliant products, it also shares the
experiences and ideas in how to apply this technology to various ecosystem solutions”.
Jean-Philippe Faure, chair of the IEEE1901 working group confirms: "The 1901 standard is designed to accommodate a
wide range of major applications for powerline communications (PLC), including in-home broadband networks for data,
audio and video distribution, Smart Energy, Smart Grid, and transportation systems, including plug-in electric vehicles.
IEEE is pleased to see the new standard supported by an HD-PLC Alliance certification program for compliance and
interoperability,"
The HD-PLC Alliance members, supporting companies, and organizations have all massively contributed to the success
of IEEE1901 standardization over the last five years.
“HD-PLC; which Panasonic developed in 2005, is now globally adopted and has matured sufficiently for many mission
critical applications. Right off the trigger of IEEE1901 approval, we started licensing IEEE1901 compliant HD-PLC designs
to LSI manufacturers” said, Mr. James French, president of Panasonic R&D Company of America.
“We decided to develop an HD-PLC LSI in full compliance with the recently announced IEEE1901 standard and plan to
release it in Q2 2011 as a companion chip for K-Micro’s Analog Front End LSI, which is in mass production for current
HD-PLC products. In addition, we also plan to develop and release another IEEE1901-compatible “Eco” version of HDPLC LSI in 2012 targeted for Smart Grid applications. “Eco” will operate at lower data rates with significantly lower power
consumption. We know there are big demands for the standard-based solutions and K-micro supports these desires”
said Koichi Akeyama, president of K-micro America.
Wavelet-OFDM technology, which is one of the core technologies of the IEEE1901 standard and HD-PLC provides the
superior performance, especially for lower power consumption,
“We are honored that ACN Wavelet OFDM technology was ratified in the IEEE1901 BPL Access Specification. ACN is
developing Wavelet OFDM Access BPL Chipset complying with The IEEE1901 standard.” said Dr. Stephan Horvath,
CEO of ACN Advanced Communication Networks SA in Switzerland.
HD-PLC Alliance has established strong relationships with the key alliances in China and Brazil, which also welcome the
ratified IEEE1901 standard. Together HD-PLC Alliance and IGRS are establishing the first PLC joint-certification program
in China. Dr. Sun Yuning, chair of IGRS National Standard Working Group, PRC, and president of IGRS Engineering
Lab. Ltd. said, “We are pleased with the announcement that HD-PLC is now ratified as the IEEE1901 world standard.
IGRS, which is the ISO/IEC 14543-5 standard, approved the IGRS-PLC interface specification contributed to HD-PLC
last year. We hope these standardization efforts foster the greater adoption in China and the global market.”
In focus on South America, HD-PLC Alliance is working with the Brazilian Government for the solution of Smart Grid and
digital divide issues. “We are conducting Smart Grid field trials jointly with local power utilities using HD-PLC, and
establishing broadband education network in the schools using HD-PLC solutions” said Pedro Jatobá, president of
APTEL in Brazil. Mr. Jatobá also mentioned “I’m convinced that there are a lot of applications for HD-PLC as the
innovative solutions for not only in Brazil, but also in South America in the view of social infrastructures.,”
The HD-PLC Alliance promotes the wide adoption and certification that ensures the interoperability among all the different
implementations of HD-PLC products.
About HD-PLC Alliance
HD-PLC Alliance was established on September 25, 2007, to promote the world-wide adoption of HD-PLC high-speed power line communication technology, and the interoperability of devices that
use that technology. HD-PLC Alliance is a non-profit association of more than 20 members including industrial leading organizations. The Alliance dedicates its efforts to leading the international
standardization such as IEEE, and certification logo program. For more information, visit http://www.hd-plc.org/.
About IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body within the IEEE, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a
broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active
standards and more than 600 standards under development. For information on the IEEE-SA, see: http://standards.ieee.org.
About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and
industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 7.42 trillion yen (US$79.4 billion) for the year ended March 31,
2010. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE: PC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and
the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net.
About Kawasaki Micro Electronics America,Inc. (K-micro America)
K-micro’s innovative ASIC technologies and analog circuit design technologies are widely used in various markets such as networking, office-automation, consumer electronics and storage. The
company is an active participant in industry standards organizations, including IEEE P1901, IEEE P2030, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), High Definition Power Line Communications
(HD-PLC), Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA), Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA), etc. K-micro has offices in San Jose, Taipei and Tokyo. Additional information can be found at
http://www.k-micro.us/
About ACN, Advanced Communications Networks SA
ACN is a privately held company incorporated in 1993. The Company’s mission is to develop leading-edge networking technologies for wireline and wireless communications, and to enable the fast
deployment of these technologies by providing networking expertise for migration to new converged networks. ACN has actively contributed to IEEE1901 Working Group with Discrete Multitone
Modulation and Bandpass Wavelet-OFDM Modulation technologies. Additional information can be found at http://www.acn-group.com/.
About IGRS
IGRS is the leading ISO/IEC 3C (Communication, Computing and Consumer electronic) Convergence Standard in the world. Formed in July 2003, the IGRS Information Industry Association
consists of 147 members is an industry alliance and standards organization that develops 3C interoperability standard-IGRS standard and standard compliant products. IGRS established National
Engineering Laboratory in July 2009 for the purpose of promotion and certification of 3C convergence technologies.
For more information, visit http://www.igrs.org
About APTEL
APTEL is a private non-profit Association whose membres own, control and/or provide telecommunications infrastructures or systems that constitute a critical element for the development of their
activities to enhance the potential uses of telecommunications and IT systems and infrastructure provided by its Members throught joint actions in the fields of Business, Regulation and Technology
(R&D) in Braszil. For more information, visit http://www.aptel.com.br
Contacts:
HD-PLC Alliance Office
TEL +81-92-477-1671 http://www.hd-plc.org/