Potential impact of the CENELEC spectral mask on broadband PLC networks

A large majority of broadband power line communication (PLC) equipments currently sold in Europe are following the HPAV specification. These systems generate a windowed OFDM signal in the [1.8, 30] MHz frequency range, and offer a theoretical throughput of up to 200 Mbps at the physical layer. This value can be reached considering an ideal PLC channel, using only 917 out of 1536 subcarriers so that the transmitted PSD fits into the spectral mask imposed by the FCC. In 2011, the European committee in charge of EMC regulations, the CENELEC, proposed a much more restrictive standard to regulate PLC transmission power level. In this paper, we firstly emphasize on the significant impact this new spectral mask could induce on HPAV networks. Secondly, we show that an alternative modulation, named OFDM/OQAM, could notably limit the potential capacity loss in the case this new standard would be adopted. Indeed, it appears that the possibility of using frequency selective prototype filters gives OFDM/OQAM a decisive advantage in comparison to the windowed OFDM scheme.