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September 15th, 2005
CURRENT Improves Utilities’ Efficiency, Brings Utilities into Internet Provider Market
CURRENT Communications Group, LLC, a broadband over powerline (BPL)
service provider, has selected Intellon's Turbo chipset (INT5500CS) as the basis for its powerline communications products.
CURRENT’s products enable utility companies to offer electric socket based Internet communications and improve the overall
efficiency of the utility’s electric distribution networks. These systems gives utilities the capability to read electric
meters, identify power outages, monitor utility capacitor banks and manage security cameras.
CURRENT’s broadband systems also permit high-speed broadband
access over every electrical outlet in a customer’s home. According to Richard Goldstein, CEO of CURRENT "Intellon's
HomePlug chipsets provide a cost-effective, robust networking solution that enables our BPL infrastructure to serve multiple
purposes for utilities and end-users. We have been a long-time supporter of HomePlug technology. One important factor we considered
in our selection of a powerline technology was that Intellon's solution is based on the HomePlug industry standard, thus ensuring
end-to-end compatibility with existing and future HomePlug-enabled devices, while providing a cost-effective 85Mbps infrastructure
solution."
September 14th, 2005
Arkados Makes Inroads into Broadband Electric Socket Market –Produces
Powerline Communications Silicon
Arkados, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CDKnet.com (OTC BB:
CDKN), has produced its first chip for the powerline communications market. The AI-1100 powerline communications chip has
been permits electric sockets to act as high-speed Internet portals.
The AI-1100 chip integrates HomePlug powerline technology along
with the well-known ARM9 processor.
August 25th, 2005
As a sign that power line utility based Internet communications
infrastructure is gaining support, Intellon Corporation has obtained $24.5 million in funding. The long list of those investing
included lead investor, BCE Capital, affiliated with one of Canada’s largest communications companies, Bell Canada.
Other investors included Goldman, Sachs & Co., Intel Capital and Motorola Ventures, which joined existing investors Comcast
Interactive Capital, Duchossois TECnology Partners, EnerTech Capital, Fidelity Ventures, Hydro-Quebec CapiTech, Liberty Associated
Partners, LP, Philips Venture Capital Fund, TL Ventures and UMC Capital Corporation.
Intellon, which presently has a line of powerline communications
chips that turn electric sockets into data communications gateways, plans to use the funds for the development of higher speed
versions of its chipsets.
August 12th, 2005
Motorola Ventures Invests in Powerline Communications Leader Intellon
Intellon has announced that Motorola Ventures has invested in its Series B financing round. Motorola Ventures is affiliated
with Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT), which just recently announced that it would use Intellon’s powerline communications
chipset to offer a new product that would allow power utilities to enter the broadband communications market, effectively
opening up the door for competition with existing network and telecommunications company in the broadband market.
With the announcement, Charlie Harris, CEO at Intellon noted the difficulty in selecting a partner, "Selecting strategic
partners for this financing round required significant diligence on our part. As a pioneer and innovator in communications,
Motorola is a natural fit, given our mutual objectives. We are pleased to have them as an investor in our company."
Referring to the power utility broadband market, Matthew I. Growney, managing director of Motorola Ventures said, "Motorola
remains committed to developing and delivering next generation technologies like Broadband over PowerLine (BPL) for its customers.
Intellon's HomePlug(R) chip portfolio will provide Motorola with many different connectivity solutions for within the home
and to the home applications."
Intellon for this year plans to introduce even more advanced technology to further speed broadband communications over
power lines throughout the home and office with the introduction of its HomePlug AV 200 Mbps chipset, the INT6000. So far
Intellon reports that it has sold two million of its powerline communications HomePlug chips sold, Intellon holds the dominant
market share of the rapidly growing HomePlug market.
August 11th, 2005
Intellon Corporation, a company that has developed
chipsets that permit data communications through the electric socket in your home or office, will now be a part of Motorola’s
Powerline LV(low-voltage) end-to-end Broadband over Powerline (BPL) solution. The Powerline LV incorporates Intellon’s
HomePlug 1.0 1NT5200 chipset as the primary enabler of low voltage, high speed communications over electrified power lines.
In order to implement a utility pole compatible solution, Motorola has combined Intellon’s HomePlug chip technology
with its own Canopy Broadband Internet Platform. That solution brings the broadband signal to a utility pole via a wireless
connection. The broadband signal is then brought into the home or office over the power line through a low voltage powerline
communication signal.
Tony Pirih, corporate vice president at the Canopy Wireless Broadband Group of Motorola
indicated that the solution should entice utilities to enter the broadband market, "By combining the best attributes of wireless
and powerline communications, Powerline LV offers a very attractive way for utility companies to enter the BPL market. We
are pleased to be working with Intellon to incorporate the standards-based HomePlug technology with our proven Canopy Broadband
Internet Platform."
Because of limited broadband access in rural areas,
those regions may be one of the first to adopt the technology. Intellon reported that only three pieces of equipment were
needed to implement a connection. These include a Powerline LV access point cluster, an integrated antenna and bridge router
and an Intellon enabled modem.
Motorola’s HomePlug 1.0 technology
based solution presently supports transmission protocol rates up to 14M bps, however Motorola has plans to use Intellon’s
recently announced Turbo INT5500CS chipset. That chipset provides an 85 Mbps transmission rate.
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