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Talking To Your Fridge? You Need In-House Broadband Over Powerline: Page 7 of 10

VoIP is another matter, as the hard phones certainly are different and may even be in the form of softphones, or software residing on a desktop or laptop computer equipped with a microphone and speakers. VoIP generally requires a broadband connection like DSL, cable modem or PON. Since unconventional VoIP dial tone is not line powered, voice over these loops requires battery backup at the NID (Network Interface Device). Since BPL runs over the same electric grid that powers it, power failures are a big deal. I don't see that addressed in the standards.

Commercial Service Offerings

Although BPL services are not widely available, a small number of companies have begun offering commercial service in the last year or so. Current Communications, which currently operates only in the Cincinnati area, offers the following service options:

In partnership with Ohio-based power utility Cinergy, Current Broadband plans to extend the service offerings to Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.