Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) announced that it’s bringing its VDSL2 vectoring technology to market, offering broadband carriers the ability to deliver broadband speeds of 100 Mbps and higher via existing copper wire networks. ALU hopes the technology will help DSL providers prolong the use of their existing copper lines and enable them to more gradually, and cost-effectively expand fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) access. U.S. broadband carriers with announced VDSL2 deployments include AT&T and TDS, among others.
DSL continues to be a broadband workhorse around the globe, with more than 1.25 billion of the world’s households currently connected to copper lines. Equipment vendors including ALU and others have been experimenting with vectoring technology to dramatically increase broadband speeds for DSL, albeit with continued distance limitations.In simplified terms, vectoring reduces the “crosstalk” interference common in the copper pairs which carry DSL.
“Alcatel-Lucent’s plan to make VDSL2 vectoring commercially available is very timely. Service providers and governments have stated their intent to boost broadband speeds to consumers and businesses alike, but the challenges associated with comprehensive fiber-to-the-home deployments have been a major obstacle,” commented Rob Gallagher, principal analyst and head of broadband and TV research at Informa. “VDSL2 Vectoring promises to bring speeds of 100Mbps and beyond to advanced copper/fiber hybrid networks and make superfast broadband speeds available to many more people, much faster than many in the industry had thought possible.”
Alcatel-Lucent claims more than half the VDSL2 lines in service today run courtesy of their platform. “With our enhanced broadband portfolio, including VDSL2 Vectoring and recent innovations in next-generation fiber, operators can deliver new services and generate new revenue, quickly,” Dave Geary, president of the company’s wireline division, said.
