PLT not an acceptable system while interference to HF is potentially high

Power Line Telecommunication (also known as BPL) is not an acceptable system to provide broadband connections while the interference potential to HF frequencies remains high.

This was the message that the South African Radio League delivered to the Broadband Conference held at the Sandton Convention Centre during the past week.

Proponents of 'PLT as the solution to bridging the digital divide' must think again, Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, told delegates. Bridging the digital divide is about access to Personal Computers and computer literacy and not about cheap broadband delivery.

He said that the SARL is not against new technologies as long as these technologies are not at the cost of the HF spectrum, which is a scarce national resource. He said that in fact Radio Amateurs are embracing new technologies all the time. It is part of being an experimenter.

With so many successful and more mature technologies, such as WiMAX and HSPDA available, it is difficult to understand why PLT is still pursued with such vigour.

Currently there is no PLT equipment type approved by ICASA and no licenses have been issued.

Source: The South African Radio League