IEEE P1901 Sets Provisions for MAC/PHY, Intersystem Protocol
July 9, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) working group devoted to developing a standard for broadband over power lines (BPL) is developing IEEE P1901 - Standard for Broadband over Power Line Networks: Medium Access Control and Physical Layer Specifications.
When finished, the project will present a standard for high-speed - greater than 100 Mbps at the physical (PHY) layer - communication devices via alternating current (AC) electric power lines, or BPL devices.
Technical Subgroup 2 (TSG2), which is dedicated to fast fourier transform (FFT) and wavelet medium access control (MAC)/PHY presented 13 revised chapters of the draft standard on MAC/PHY layers and security.
Technical Subgroup 4 (TSG4), which is dedicated to coexistence, presented a draft annex describing the intersystem protocol (ISP) that enables various BPL devices and systems to share communication resources (frequency/time) when installed in a network with common electrical wiring.
ISP will allow IEEE P1901-compliant devices and International Telecommunication Union Standardization Sector G.hn-compliant devices to coexist. The protocol provides configurable frequency division for access and time division for in-home with a granularity compatible with the quality of service requirements of the most demanding audio and video applications, according to the IEEE.
The working group approved TSG2's revisions by an 83% majority and unanimously approved TSG4's ISP annex.
The technical subgroups will hold weekly teleconferences as they continue to develop the first official draft of the P1901 standard.
Source: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA).