# Characterization of Narrowband Noise and Channel Capacity for Powerline Communication in France
###### Abstract
As can be seen in Figure 2, the quality of the NB-PLC in the MV and LV networks depends on three main characteristics: impedance discontinuities, attenuation of the communication channel that can be modeled using a transfer function, and noise levels generated by distribution cables. Figure 1: Examples of smart grids’ applications based on the Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Regarding the MV network, many technical issues are described in the literature. Some authors have modeled and characterized the MV cables [18; 19]. In particular, the key features (attenuation and impedance) of the MV cables show considerable variations both depending on how the signal is injected into the cable, and the type of cable. The injected signal in the MV network need the use of a coupling system to connect the NB-PLC transceiver to the MV cables in safety conditions. [PERSON] et al. have proposed such a coupling system [20]. [PERSON] et al. have studied the impact of the transformer on the NB-PLC channel, and the noise interferences in the MV cables [21]. The LV network is still much more interesting to study, because many advanced smart metering interfaces (AMI) are currently widely deployed. Examples include the PRIME standard developed by Iberdrola in Spain for advanced metering, grid control and asset monitoring applications [15]. In France, the G3-PLC has been implemented by Enedis to efficiently manage the AC grid [16; 17]. In that case, the AMI interface is based on the communication between a concentrator installed in the transformer substation and many smart electricity meters installed at the customers' side. It is important to note that the number of smart meters per medium voltage/low voltage (MV/LV) transformer depends on the topology of the network (i.e., rural, urban, residential, or industrial) [5]. In that case, the NB-PLC noise features seriously affect the reliability of power line communication can be analyzed through a time-frequency representation. These NB-PLC parameters have recently been characterized in the many countries and the results have been discussed in the literature [4; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32]. For example, [PERSON] et al. have pointed out the impact of the attenuation and the impulsive noise generated by the inverters on the NB-PLC [4]. In that case, many real experiments using a G3-PLC modem were conducted in Brazil in an industrial environment. [PERSON] et al. have analyzed the main characterization results of NB-PLC such as access impedances, interferences, and attenuations in the frequency band between 30 and 500 kHz [33]. In this study, the measurements were performed in China in a typical urban underground network. [PERSON] et al. have highlighted the cyclo-stationary properties of the NB-PLC noise [23]. [PERSON] et al. have discussed the cyclic structure of G3-PLC noise system operating in the CENELEC 3-148.5 kHz band [24]. This study was performed in the USA in several urban usage environments. Finally, [PERSON] et al. have proposed a comprehensive comparison and analysis of noise in time-frequency domain [34]. This analysis is based on measurements performed in China and in Italy. Even if many studies are available in the literature, a few works have been performed on the French LV network, while France has inspired smart metering, and standards such as the G3-PLC. The manuscript proposes the following two main contributions:  
Figure 2: Example of narrowband powerline communication (NB-PLC) channel representation in the low voltage (LV) network. 1. The first one consists in analyzing the noise characteristics in time-frequency representation, the transfer functions measured in five different sites (i.e., urban, rural, sub rural, urban dense 1, and urban dense 2) in several LV networks in France. This activity is conducted in partnership with Enedis. The analysis of the noise profiles is of utmost importance to develop robust techniques to improve the communication between the smart meter and the data concentrator, and the data rate, latency, reliability and security.