Addendum to Power Line Telecommunications (PLT) Statement

Published 22|06|10

There are now an estimated 1.8 million pairs of PLT apparatus in use in the UK. From July 2008 to the end of May 2010 a total of 214 cases of interference have been reported to Ofcom, all from shortwave listeners. 186 have been referred to BT to investigate, 10 are awaiting resolution.

One of the uncertainties associated with this technology is the absence of a suitable harmonised standard for manufacturers and regulators to use as a benchmark. The European Commission has acknowledged this problem, and has requested that the Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, CENELEC begin work immediately to produce a standard, a move that we in Ofcom strongly support. This is particularly important because the products are manufactured and sold across the EU. A proposed timetable for this work indicates that a standard should be agreed by July 2011.

We have been informed by BT, the main supplier of PLT devices in the UK, that they are to start marketing an upgraded and improved Comtrend product employing enhanced interference mitigation technology which will reduce the potential for causing interference.