News Article
Forecast of 4 million 200Mbps Powerline chips to be shipped in 2007
The Universal Powerline Association (UPA) has announced the shipment of one million UPA compliant 200Mbps Powerline communications chips during 2006 and forecast sales of 4 million by end 2007.
The Universal Powerline Association (UPA) has announced the shipment of one million UPA compliant 200Mbps Powerline communications chips during 2006 and forecast sales of 4 million by end 2007. These chips provide connectivity solutions for Access Broadband over Powerline (BPL) applications and in-home simultaneous distribution of high definition (HD) video, audio and data over existing Powerlines.
Eric Morel, UPA President stated, “2006 was the year of the trail blazers in the high-speed Powerline communications market. Companies with 200 Mbps Powerline product using UPA technology have made huge financial investments in product development and certification to be ready to serve the market with mature and stable interoperable products.” Mr. Morel continued, “The 2006 chip volumes confirm that the age of UPA Powerline product has arrived.”
The UPA forecasts that chip sales will reach four million during 2007 to support increased demand for 200 Mbps Powerline products in both the Home Networking and BPL Access markets and to support new product launches from UPA members. Today, these chips power a wide range of commercially available interoperable Powerline products. Twelve of these products have already been through the UPA certification process and carry the “UPA Plugtested” label.
The UPA now includes three semiconductor companies. Having multiple silicon providers in the association is critical to the proliferation of the UPA’s Powerline technology.
“The growing performance capabilities and reliability of Powerline communications in tandem with the worldwide ubiquity of electric outlets is now making the promise of Powerline networking a true reality,” said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with Parks Associates. “As an important supplier of Powerline networking solutions, the growth shown in UPA chipset shipments reflects a very strong outlook for Powerline-based Home Networking solutions.”
