Error correction mechanism in the new G3-PLC specification for powerline communication

A new physical layer specification for powerline communication, named G3-PLC, has recently been developed. The specification is intended for operation in the low-frequency band, from 35.9 kHz up to 90.6 kHz. This paper describes the different error correction schemes that were incorporated in the G3-PLC specification in order to combat the various types of errors that are usually encountered when transmitting in a typical powerline channel. In addition to the well-known Reed-Solomon and convolutional encoding, the G3-PLC specification incorporated a two-dimensional time and frequency interleaving algorithm combined with a repetition coding scheme that introduces significant redundancy in the transmit data. Simulation results showing the expected performance of each of the individual error correction schemes as well as the overall performance of the combined schemes are presented. The channel model used in the simulation is described in detail.