The IEEE announced today that it has approved IEEE 1901.2, “Standard for Low-Frequency (less than 500kHz) Narrowband Power-Line Communications for Smart-Grid Applications.” The achievement was driven and sponsored by the Power-Line Communications Standards Committee of the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc).
“Created to specify secure PLC at data rates up to 500kbps and at transmission frequencies of less than 500kHz for applications, IEEE 1901.2 addresses low-frequency, narrowband PLC over low-voltage lines of less than 1,000V between transformer and meter, through transformer low-voltage to medium-voltage (1,000V up to 72kV) and through transformer medium-voltage to low-voltage power lines in both urban and in long-distance (multi-kilometer) rural communications,” the organization said in a statement.
“The IEEE 1901.2 standard raises the bar of performance with mandatory differential and robust coherent modulation, with added enhancements for increased data rates greater than 300kbps,” Jim LeClare, chair of the IEEE Low-Frequency Narrowband Power-Line Communications Working Group, said. “The design potential for low-frequency, narrowband OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) Power-Line Communications (PLC) has expanded past the energy industry, with designs spanning the globe in industrial automation, transportation, street lighting, mining, medical applications and more.”
“Over a two- to three-year time frame, the IEEE 1901.2 working group has worked very hard to bring this standard from draft form to full approval,” Oleg Logvinov, vice chair of IEEE Low-Frequency Narrowband Power-Line Communications Working Group and director of special assignments, Industrial and Power Conversion Division, STMicroelectronics, said. “I would like to extend a hearty congratulations to the entire working group for reaching this milestone. Having this standard widely available is paramount to the forward progress of technologies provided by semiconductor manufacturers, meter and systems manufacturers, software developers, service providers, utilities and more.”
IEEE 1901.2 is scheduled to be published on Dec. 6, 2013 and will be available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store.
