OPERA is the Open PLC European Research Alliance for new generation PLC integrated network, and it is a R&D Project with a budget of about 20 Million Euros, including a funding of 9 Million Euros from the European Commission.

35 organisations form the consortium in order to achieve the Project’s goals. All main stakeholders in PLC are involved, not only from many European countries, but also from Israel. Advanced Digital Design is one of these 35 organisations.

Main Objectives of OPERA:

PLC, Power Line Communication, is a technology able to use the current electricity networks for data transmission purposes, allowing any user connected to the power grid to enjoy a number of services (Internet, telephony, TV, etc...) easily and avoiding expensive and pollutant new wiring.
This desirable technology has not been properly developed up to now. The main objective of the present Project is to perform the necessary research, demonstration and dissemination at an European scale in order to overcome the obstacles for the PLC technology, allowing European citizens to enjoy its advantages.

The scientific and technological objectives of the Project are summarised hereafter:

• Improved current Power Line Communication (PLC) systems - covering low voltage (LV) as well as medium voltage (MV) PLC system and looking at bandwidth, reach, ease of operation, EMC (electromagnetic compatibility), network management, channel modelling. Objectives relate to conditioning the power grid (using couplers and filters) and improving PLC equipment.
• Develop optimal solutions for connection of the PLC access networks to the backbone networks. The objective in this area is to create well-adapted backbone solutions (LMDS, satellite, MV PLC, etc.). The main aim is to reach all end users independently of where they are.
• Develop “ready to sell services” over PLC technology and design or improve low cost user terminals.
• Standardisation of PLC systems.
• Definition of the business plan and procedures for network maintenance and service provisioning, along with market research to know the requirements of end users.
• Dissemination of the Project results, respecting the intellectual property rights
• Achieving these objectives will lead to the strategic objective of the Project: to have a really convenient operative PLC Integrated Network suitable for commercialisation, where all current requirements for PLC improvements will be properly satisfied and where interconnection to the most important technologies is possible, in order to reach all end users wherever they are.