The A to Z of broadband

Power lines

Getting broadband through the electricity grid is a concept that's been slow to take off.

The list from A to Z

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A is for ADSL
B is for BT
C is for Cable & Wireless
D is for Dial-up
E is for Education
F is for Fibre
G is for Goonhilly
H is for HSDPA
I is for In-flight
J is for Janet
K is for Kingston
L is for Landlines
M is for Murdoch
N is for Next generation
O is for Ofcom
P is for Power lines
Q is for Quad-play
R is for Remote working
S is for Satellite phones
T is for Trains
U is for Unbundling
V is for VoIP
W is for WiMax
X is for Xbox
Y is for YouTube
Z is for Zombies

A trial from Southern Electric in 2003 connected homes and businesses in the Winchester area with speeds of up to 1Mbps both upstream and downstream.

But silicon.com columnist Peter Cochrane is not convinced of the tech's viability, reporting in 2003 on the 'hot potato' nature of power line broadband, with suppliers eager to start trials and then quickly dropping the concept.

Even so, by 2005 the European Commission was pushing its 25 member states to adopt supplying broadband through the electricity grid, as a way of addressing the digital divide.

Any takers?