OREANDA-NEWS. April 19, 2012. Panasonic Corporation today announced that it has started licensing its newly developed low power consumption high-speed broadband powerline communication technology HD-PLC*1 Eco.

The new HD-PLC Eco technology realizes about 90% reduction of power consumption in comparison with existing HD-PLC adapters (BL-PA510) that has 4 watt power consumption. While realizing low power consumption, the technology is able to provide the stability and security unique to wired communication for a wider variety of devices. As a result, there is high anticipation for HD-PLC Eco's application in power meters for smart grid systems and electric vehicles.

In addition to HD-PLC Eco, Panasonic has started the development of HD-PLC Inside as a network communications solution that enables lower cost and lower power consumption for home appliances and industrialЃ@equipment. The details of the licensing of HD-PLC Inside will be announced in the current fiscal year that ends March 2013.

Panasonic first began licensing its HD-PLC technology in 2010 and has since seen an expansion of the HD-PLC solution with examples such as the beginning of the sales of IEEE 1901*2 compliant HD-PLC LSI by Japanese LSI manufacturers.

To further expand HD-PLC solutions, Panasonic also announced it is licensing its HD-PLC technology to Alchip Technologies Ltd.,*3 a leading provider of silicon design and manufacturing solutions for system companies developing ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and SoC (System-on-a-chip) designs. With this licensing, it is expected that LSI corresponding with IEEE 1901 standard will be readily provided in the global market, thereby HD-PLC equipped products developed by various companies will increase and the PLC technology will become increasingly widespread.

Panasonic will continue to develop HD-PLC systems that can be used in various products as well as promote the licensing of HD-PLC solutions to manufacturers around the world. By doing so, Panasonic aims to expand the PLC technology and realize both a ubiquitous network society and smart grids that allow electricity usage to be visualized and power consumption supply and demand to be adjusted.
1.HD-PLC: The name of a high-speed power line communication system created by Panasonic Corporation. HD-PLC is a trademark or registered trademark in Japan and other countries.
2.IEEE P1901: IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is a non-profit, professional organization for the advancement of technology related to electricity and electronics. It is the organization responsible for standards such as Ethernet and wireless LAN.
3.About Alchip Technologies Limited
 Founded in 2003, Alchip Technologies Ltd. is a leading provider of silicon design and manufacturing services for companies developing complex and high-volume system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs. Alchip's products are mainly used in HDTV, mobile phones, networking, computers, entertainment and other consumer electronics devices. It provides services intended to enable customers to cost-effectively address the technological complexity of silicon design and the need to reduce time to market. For more information: www.alchip.com