Circuit break: Siemens pulls plug on power line plans

The company had been in discussions with a number of small local German utilities, with the intention of introducing in the summer a service offering internet access via electricity sockets.

A Siemens spokesman said the company now intends to move staff to work on developing its high-speed ADSL service instead. Regulatory delays for power line technology and the uncertainty of growth opportunities in the business precipitated the move, he said.

However, he stressed that Siemens will offer internet access via power lines at a later date, should the market prove profitable.