EU Supports Launch Of OPERA Phase Two

EU Supports Launch Of OPERA Phase Two

EU support launch of OPERA® Phase II to boost adoption of low cost Broadband over Powerline applications

• The OPERA specification is the global solution for Access BPL
Madrid, 21, February, 2007 - OPERA, the Open PLC European Research Alliance for a new generation of Powerline Communications integrated network technology today announced that the European Commission has approved financing of Euro 9.06 million to support extended field deployments based on an open specification for access Broadband over Powerline (BPL) applications. The specification adopted in OPERA Phase 1 is publicly available on the project web site (www.ist-opera.org).

Over the next two years (2007 - 2008), the objective of OPERA Phase II will be to catalyze the deployment of low cost Broadband access applications over electricity networks for a wide range of applications and use cases that include:
• Broadband Internet Access
• E-learning
• Telephony (VoIP and TDMoPLC)
• Smart Home
• New intelligent grid services (EMS, AMM, etc…)
• Video over IP (IPTVoPLC)
• Video on demand
• Security
• E-Health
The OPERA specification for BPL access applications adopted in 2006, is based on DS2's 200 Mbps technology and was developed by a consortium of 37 companies that included silicon vendors, equipment vendors, electric utilities, telecom operators and universities from 10 countries. This specification, the only open, global specification for access BPL, generated valuable contributions that have been submitted to the powerline standardisation work underway in both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). The OPERA specification has also been endorsed by the Universal Powerline Association (UPA), the leading Powerline Communications industry body driving the acceptance of open standards for access BPL and home networking applications over Powerline.

OPERA Phase II will contribute field research to both IEEE and ETSI confirming the importance of the work undertaken in developing and validating the specification for the deployment of access BPL.

The Consortium supporting OPERA Phase II is made up of 26 partners (including 8 universities and research centers) from 11 different countries. The consortoim is led by the Spanish utility Iberdrola.

About OPERA
OPERA stands for Open PLC Research Alliance and aims to develop a new generation PLC access standard to accelerate the adoption of low cost, high performance broadband access PLC. The second phase of the project (2007-2008) currently has 26 partners including electricity utilities, OEM manufacturers, technology providers, universities, engineering and consultancy companies and telecom operators. OPERA is co-financed by the European Union under the Sixth R&D Framework Program (FP6), and specifically addresses the theme "Broadband for all" which falls under the responsibility of the Information Society and Technologies Directorate General. www.ist-opera.org

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