By Steve Ragan Aug 16, 2007, 16:06 GMT
Thanks to a new partnership with Current Group, DirecTV will start offering BPL services in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas. On Wednesday, the two companies announced a wholesale distribution agreement that will enable DirecTV to offer its customers Current’s BPL (Broadband Over Powerline) high-speed Internet service and VoIP services at the end of 2007 or early 2008.
DirecTV customers will be able to access the Internet by plugging a BPL modem into virtually any outlet in their home. This easy-to-use symmetrical service can send data faster than the typical cable modem service in use today. The increased upload speed is particularly important as users rely on greater speeds to play interactive games or send significant volumes of digital content through the Internet.
Under the terms of the agreement, DirecTV will have access to Current’s BPL network, initially in the Dallas/Fort Worth BPL network, over the next several years. DirecTV will be able to market a bundle, including DirecTV high-speed Internet and VoIP services to its residential customers. In addition, the agreement provides DirecTV the ability to add other geographic markets as Current builds out its network. Current’s BPL network enables both Broadband services and Smart Grid solutions designed to improve efficiency and reliability while reducing the environmental impact of electric service.
“[BPL] works via a go-anywhere, installation-free modem that's about the size of a regular power adapter and plugs into any electrical outlet. It is Ethernet and WiFi enabled, which means it can fill in wireless coverage gaps created by cable or DSL,” says Current VP of corporate development and strategy Brendan Herron.
BPL is on the rise in some areas, but the lack of coverage is what sets this new service back. Aside from Dallas, Cincinnati, Ohio, is the other location where consumers can test the new platform. The DirecTV offering in Dallas covers just fewer than two million customers. This is a small percentage of the overall broadband subscriber base in the U.S. BPL also boasts faster speeds. In the Dallas area that is around 10Mb upload and download according to Current Group. Regarding power efficiency, The Electric Power Research Institute in the US predicts that smart grids may reduce power-related disturbances in the country by eighty-seven percent.
“Our agreement with Current gives our customers another high-quality, easy- to-use option to pair broadband services with DirecTV’s video offerings,” said Evan Grayer, vice president of Broadband for DirecTV. “By choosing this bundled option, DirecTV customers will now be able to enjoy fast, reliable and secure high-speed Internet service anywhere they have a power outlet in their homes.”
Current Group, LLC, is a privately held company based in Germantown, MD. Their investors include Duke Energy Corporation, EarthLink, Inc., EnerTech Capital, Google Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co., General Electric Company, Hearst Corporation, Liberty Associated Partners (an investment partnership between Liberty Media Corporation and the Berkman family) and TXU Corp, among others.
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