The Universal Powerline Association (UPA), an international association working to promote global standards and regulations in the rapidly developing powerline communications market, has announced the completion of the first version of its “Digital Home Standard” (DHS) high-speed powerline networking specification. A final version of the DHS specification will be released later this year.

Peter Sobotka, chairman of the UPA DHS working group, stated, “The specification is remarkably innovative and, also validated by the market; it is the only specification that is designed to work harmoniously with broadband access powerline equipment, based on the OPERA standard, and it has been developed according to the clear-cut processes of the UPA.”

Work on the specification began in early 2005 with a market requirements document submitted for input to leading service providers, PC manufacturers and other potential powerline chipset providers. The requirements were validated with a set of worldwide laboratory and field trials with over 40 tier-one telecommunication and cable companies. The UPA has complemented the specification with a set of plug tests, which ensure the interoperability of equipment from different manufacturers and demonstrate coexistence between networks.

This week at CeBIT, leading manufacturers will be showing products bearing the “UPA Plug Tested” label. The array of products on display covers a broad spectrum of manufacturers including AcBel Polytech, Corinex, ILEVO, ST&T and TOYO Networks. “These are not prototype products,” said Eric Morel, UPA Chairman, “but are actually going onto the shelves now.”

Morel added, “Since its inception, the UPA has grown to 17 companies, and together with OPERA, we represent the leading technological and commercially active force of the powerline industry. We are proud to keep to the timing of promised specifications for the benefit of our members as well as the whole powerline community, including the IEEE P1901 committee.”

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