10 Gbps achieved over copper phone lines

6 August 2014 Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT

It is difficult to argue against optical fibre as being the most practical solution for high-speed, fixed-line data transmission, now and into the foreseeable future, but one cannot help but be impressed at how far the speed barrier over traditional copper telephoned lines is constantly being pushed.

Bell Labs, the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent, has set a new record of 10 Gbps using such phone lines and even went a step further in developing a prototype technology that demonstrates how existing copper access networks might be used to deliver 1 Gbps, symmetrical, ultra-broadband access services.

The tests used a prototype technology called XG-FAST, an extension of G.fast, a new broadband standard currently being finalised by the ITU. When it becomes commercially available in 2015, G.fast will use a frequency range for data transmission of 106 MHz, giving broadband speeds up to 500 Mbps over a distance of 100 metres. In contrast, XG-FAST uses an increased frequency range up to 500 MHz to achieve higher speeds but over shorter distances.

Bell Labs achieved 1 Gbps symmetrical over 70 metres on a single copper pair and 10 Gbps over a distance of 30 metres using two pairs of lines. Both tests used standard copper cable provided by a European operator.

Bell Labs have put together a video in which some of its researchers explain the importance of the work carried out way back in the 1940s by Claude Shannon (resulting in the eponymous Shannon Limit) and how his information theory continues to influence developments such as these today. Visit www.dataweek.co.za/video to watch it.

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