 THREE Japanese electronics giants are preparing to establish standards for using domestic electricity wiring for high-speed network services. Panasonic brand maker Matsushita, Sony and Mitsubishi Electric issued a joint statement announcing that they were creating an alliance to set up global standards to allow appliances built by different companies would interconnect. Under the technology, data would be transmitted not via telephone lines but by power lines - theoretically providing powerful internet access in any room that is wired for electricity. And in contrast to telephone lines, power lines would allow computers to run on the same network as appliances such as televisions, refrigerators and heating thermostats, opening new possibilities for secure, remote access. Powerline communication "is considered a critical bi-directional communication channel that will support home networking in the future," the companies said. The technology has been made available in recent years in limited trials in the United States, Europe, Australia and parts of East Asia. Japan, however, has not yet allowed it as it weighs concerns that the technology could interfere with ship and aircraft radio communications. |