G.HNEM: The new ITU-T standard on narrowband PLC technology

CTN Issue: January 2012

There is today a worldwide interest in the implementation of Smart Grid and, in particular, the communications aspects. Although the Smart Grid will be supported by a heterogeneous set of networking technologies, the use of Narrowband Power Line Communications (NB-PLC), which operate in the (3-500) kHz band, provides several unique and fundamental benefits. Several standards bodies are engaged in the standardization of N-PLC, including the IEEE and ITU; the ITU for example, approved the first next generation OFDM-based NB-PLC family of international standards in December 2011. IEEE Communications Magazine