BPL Global Ltd. (Sewickley, Pennsylvania, U.S), a Smart Grid technology company, has successfully implemented its broadband over power line (BPL) in Caracas, Venezuela, according to La Nueva Electricidad de Caracas (EDC).

The BPL deployment in Petare, a community in the east side of Caracas, has been operating in a trial mode serving numerous multi-dwelling units. It operates on the existing aerial medium-voltage power lines, providing Internet service to low-income areas that are underserved.

The BPL activities fit with EDC's overall strategy of providing services that benefit the communities' goal to continually improve the quality of life in Venezuela. EDC is helping communities by leveraging the existing power grid to provide citizens and less-privileged communities with access to the Internet. Other services that EDC would like to offer include: VoIP, IPTV, VPN and IP communication. Since some areas have no Internet access, the services are expected to have a positive social impact. So far, enrollment of the broadband-enabled buildings has exceeded the 20% goal for the pilot.

The Computer Industry Almanac estimates only 13% of the Venezuelan population, or 3.3 million people, have Internet access. The access provided through EDC and BPL Global will enable significant growth in the number of people with broadband access in Venezuela

As part of the engagement, BPL Global: analyzed the Caracas electrical infrastructure, operating environment and service requirements presented by EDC; evaluated several best-of-breed BPL vendor solutions and designed the best solution based upon EDC requirements and the characteristics of the local electrical grid; managed equipment sourcing; trained network operation center employees and field technicians; and provided ongoing backup support to the EDC field team.