Huawei backs IEEE Power Line standard for Industrial IoT

• Commits to the new IEEE 1901.1 standard
• Long distance power line communications at less than 12MHz
• Physical layer data speed more than 200 times industry average
• Supported IIoT use cases go beyond the needs of the power industry

Huawei may be receiving some flak for alleged security concerns over 5G, but that isn’t stopping the China-based behemoth from pursuing all other possible telecoms solutions. The vendor has an event in Paris this week focused on the global power industry, and used it to strengthen its commitment to the new IEEE 1901.1 standard – the new specification for power line communications at less than 12MHz frequencies – and to pledge to work with partners to promote the development and growth of an ecosystem based on the standard.

The 1901.1 project has been ongoing for about two years, with the first standard officially published in May by the IEEE PLC-IoT Industry Connection group. Huawei has already shipped a PLC-IoT communication module, which it says offers improved anti-interference capabilities for data transmissions over power lines. The physical layer data speed has reportedly reached 4Mbit/s, which is more than 200 times the industry average. That doesn’t sound a lot, but it is significant for very long distance communications over power lines (Huawei says it supports 1km per hop and 15 levels of repeaters). The hope is, therefore, that this standard will solve the last-mile challenges of narrowband PLC technology.

Why does it matter? It all connects rather nicely to Industrial IoT use cases – and not only for the power industry. Huawei says it has developed use-case-specific solutions, including Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) smart metering, smart power distribution, medium- and low-voltage switchgear, and even a traffic signal light solution for the transportation sector. All of which will doubtless bypass the telcos and their attempts to provide IIoT solutions over cellular.

Key Quotes:

• “The publication of the IEEE 1901.1 standard makes it possible to build a global ecosystem,” said Oleg Logvinov, Chair of IEEE PLC-IoT IC Executive Committee. “I am confident that together with Huawei we can build a flourishing PLC-IoT ecosystem, a great foundation for many industry partners to work together.”
• “Huawei will continue to work with industry partners and members of IEEE to propel the development of the PLC-IoT industry, promote and apply Standard globally, and jointly innovate by leveraging the platform of OpenLab,” added Wang Shaosen, General Manager of Huawei Enterprise Gateway Domain.

Original Press Release:

Huawei and IEEE P1901.1 Working Group Jointly Celebrate Publication of PLC-IoT Standard

Working with Partners to Build Thriving PLC-IoT Ecosystem and Accelerate Digital Transformation in Electric Power Industry

Paris, France, August 29, 2018: At CIGRE 2018 & the Huawei Global Power Summit, Huawei and the members of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) P1901.1 Working Group jointly celebrated the publication of the IEEE 1901.1-2018 Standard for Medium Frequency (less than 12 MHz) Power Line Communications (PLC) for Smart Grid Applications (Standard). In addition, representatives of Huawei and the IEEE P1901.1 Working Group pledged to work with partners to promote the industry development and growth of the ecosystem based on this Standard, with the goal of accelerating digital transformation in the electric power industry.

The IEEE P1901.1 project officially commenced in September 2016. On May 14, 2018, IEEE officially published Standard. From the very beginning of this project, Huawei worked closely with IEEE PLC-IoT Industry Connection (IC) group, State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), and other partners around the globe to accelerate the publication of Standard. Furthermore, Huawei has been actively participating in IEEE P1901.1 standardization activities. In particular, during the standard development process, Huawei has made a number of important contributions, including the key part of the Draft Standard. Moreover, during HUAWEI CONNECT 2017, Huawei OpenLab and the IEEE PLC-IoT IC group became official partners in joint innovation. The partnership leverages Huawei OpenLab’s rich software and hardware infrastructure, as well as its experts and sound, collaborative relationships with many partners.

Huawei actively promotes the global technical certification, industry application certification, and industry development based on Standard. Huawei adheres to the “Platform + Ecosystem” strategy, focuses on ICT infrastructure platforms, provides a plot of “fertile soil” for industry digital transformation, and builds an open PLC-IoT ecosystem together with partners. Huawei has already started cooperation with more than 10 industry standards organizations and actively participated in standards organizations and open source communities. In 2016, as one of the founding members, Huawei and 62 partners set up the Edge Computing Consortium (ECC), which now has more than 180 members. Huawei has incubated best practices with more than 15 top industry solution partners and has more than 10 global commercial cases. In addition, by leveraging Huawei OpenLab as a platform, Huawei and members of the IEEE P1901.1 Working Group are building PLC-IoT certification labs (for example, the PLC-IoT lab in Huawei Cairo OpenLab is now under construction), and are developing testbeds for multiple PLC-IoT application scenarios, building a bridge between technical standards and industry applications.

Oleg Logvinov, Chair of IEEE PLC-IoT IC Executive Committee, said:

"The publication of the IEEE 1901.1 standard makes it possible to build a global ecosystem, and Huawei is an important contributor into this standard. I am confident that together with Huawei we can build a flourishing PLC-IoT ecosystem, a great foundation for many industry partners to work together."

Wang Shaosen, General Manager of Huawei Enterprise Gateway Domain, said:

"It is a great pleasure to celebrate the IEEE 1901.1 standard publication together with members of the IEEE P1901.1 Working Group at this summit. Huawei will continue to work with industry partners and members of IEEE to propel the development of the PLC-IoT industry, promote and apply Standard globally, and jointly innovate by leveraging the platform of OpenLab. Huawei will also cooperate with partners to build a prosperous ecosystem and help industry customers achieve business success."

Today, products developed by Huawei based on the Standard, including the flagship PLC-IoT communication module, offer strong anti-interference capabilities, greatly improving the reliability of communication over power lines. The physical layer communication speed reaches 4 Mbit/s, more than 200 times the industry average, enabling additional services and improving overall system performance. The Huawei PLC-IoT communication module supports long-distance power line transmission (1 km per hop and 15 levels of repeaters). This valuable feature solves the last-mile problem of traditional narrowband PLC technology. In addition, the PLC-IoT communication module is a plug-and-play solution and can support different industry scenarios. Huawei has already applied for and obtained more than 20 PLC-IoT technology patents, and has developed solutions and products based on Standard for several industries such as electric power and transportation. Huawei offers multiple use-case-specific innovative solutions, including Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) smart metering solution, smart power distribution and transformation terminal solution, medium- and low-voltage switchgear solution, navigation-aiding light solution, and traffic signal light solution.

In the electric power industry, Huawei provides a one-stop ICT solution to bring digital technologies into every home and each electric power enterprise, becoming the best partner in the digital transformation of the electric power industry. To date, Huawei's Fully-connected Smart Grid Solution has served 13 of the world's top 20 power companies, and has been widely used in 73 countries worldwide, serving more than 190 electric power customers, for example, SGCC in China, E.ON in Germany, and ENEL in Italy.

Huawei’s Smart Grid booth is located at Level 2, No. 264, Palais Des Congress at the CIGRE exhibition. We hope to see you there. For more information, please visit: e.huawei.com/topic/power-summit2018/en/index.html