Ecuador advances in Broadband Powerline (BPL)
Ecuador advances in Broadband Powerline (BPL)
For a small country, Ecuador has been surprisingly active in the development of BPL. Two power companies offer commercial broadband services over BPL and fibre optic cables. The number of subscribers remains small, but the networks can be used by the power companies to improve electricity services through smart grids.
The Empresa Eléctrica Azogues (EEA), which operates in Ecuador’s Cañar province, teamed up with Canadian BPL provider Trimax Corporation in March 2007 to run a BPL pilot project. The two companies hoped to launch BPL triple-play services commercially in the town of Azogues, including Internet, telephony, and pay TV. The original plan proved overambitious, as most of EEA’s electric infrastructure was obsolete and there were problems of interference. Using the profits from its electricity business, however, the company built a fibre optic grid and began to offer broadband access in 2009, initially to hospitals and local government offices. By mid-2010, EEA’s Internet service was available in Azogues town centre and in nearby Charasol and Santa Barbara, at speeds ranging from 128Kb/s to 512Kb/s for residential customers, and 1,024Kb/s for business clients. The company said it would also use the broadband infrastructure for power system management, remote metering, and remote handling of electrical equipment.
Quito-based utility Empresa Electrica Quito (EEQ) and a consortium known as TGB (made up of telecom companies Telconet, Gilauco, and Brightcell) signed a concession contract in November 2007 whereby TGB would provide BPL broadband services over EEQ’s powerlines. The companies planned to offer triple play services (including broadband, VoIP telephony, and IPTV) over a fibre-optic and BPL network. In April 2008, EEQ submitted a request to Conatel for a broadband licence covering the provinces of Pichincha and Santo Domingo. While waiting for the concession, EEQ and TGB launched BPL broadband services branded Electronet in November 2008, at speeds ranging from 128Kb/s to 2,048Kb/s. But the regulator failed to award a concession; without a proper licence, Electronet could not be developed and marketed properly and, by early 2010, it had only attracted 200 subscribers. In March 2010, EEQ cancelled the BPL project and TGB was dissolved.
Cuenca-based power utility Empresa Eléctrica Regional Centrosur (CentroSur) received a licence in August 2008 to offer commercial telephony and ISP services. It launched broadband services in November 2008 under the brand name Centronet, over a hybrid network including fibre optic, wireless, and BPL technology. In June 2010, it had 1,500 broadband subscribers, of which 500 were corporate.
In January 2008, power utility Transelectric inaugurated a 460km broadband network using BPL technology. The US$28 million fibre-optic cable network is overlaid on Transelectric’s electricity lines and is capable of providing voice, Internet, and video. Transelectric uses this network to offer wholesale and carrier services.
See also: Ecuador – Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband & Forecasts
Tagged in: Broadband Fixed, Convergence, Internet, Latin America (Includes the Caribbean), Regulations & Government Policies, Smart Grids, Telecoms Infrastructure, Telecoms Voice Services, TV - Pay
