Freescale Semiconductor and arivus of Germany are working together to promote the introduction of powerline communications through the adoption of open standards.
The companies support the development of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) power line communications (PLC) which makes more efficent use of the avaialble frequency spectrum. Communications in the range of 10kHz to 490kHz enables real-time communications with power meters to 
support automated meter reading.
"Backwards compatibility with S-FSK modems will help ensure easy integration into existing networks," said the companies.
Energy management for homes, offices and factories is the big application for poweline communications, and the technology could benefit from potential energy-saving schemes being introduced by governments.
PLC technology is used to proviode remote connection with the premises, 
enabling real-time updates of tariffs and peak-time power saving.
According to Bruno Baylac, director of marketing for Freescale’s industrial segment: “This collaboration allows us to continue to develop our portfolio to support smart grid requirements with robust technology, providing reliable connectivity through OFDM power line communications. arivus / iAd has a proven track record with this technology.”
Arivus GmbH and partner company iAd GmbH developed the first OFDM based PLC chip in the mid-1990s.
See more news at Embedded World 2009