Alcatel-Lucent Raises VDSL2 Speeds With Vectoring Technology

PARIS - In a move that will reduce the cost of bringing 100 Mbps speeds to market, Alcatel-Lucent announced the first commercial availability of VDSL2 vectoring technology. By eliminating the crosstalk between lines that interferes with data signals, vectoring enables VDSL2 to achieve speeds close to its theoretical maximum.

In making the transition to fiber, many operators can benefit from reliable, cost-effective options that allow high bandwidth to be delivered on a faster schedule. By boosting the capabilities of copper access networks, this technology allows service providers to make the best use of their existing copper infrastructure and thus improve their broadband offerings and reach more subscribers more quickly. Because more than 1.25 billion households are currently connected to copper lines, advanced DSL technologies, such as VDSL2 and vectoring, are cost-effective ways to provide more bandwidth to more subscribers using existing copper resources.

Belgian operator Belgacom has announced that it will use Alcatel-Lucent's vectoring technology beginning in 2014 to provide guaranteed speeds of 50 Mbps and more, setting a new standard of quality for Belgian citizens.

Rob Gallagher, an analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, says, “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. VDSL2 vectoring promises to bring speeds of 100 Mbps 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 has supplied more than half the VDSL2 lines in the field today, worldwide. Over the past eight years, the company has pioneered innovative approaches such as high-capacity VDSL platforms and VDSL2 bonding deployments. In 2010, it developed the first vectoring prototype and has engaged in lab and field trials with service providers that include Belgacom, Telekom Austria and Turk Telekom.