Pushing Hard & Fast

Broadband network access technology has evolved from dial-up to ultra-broadband during the past few decades -- from 200 Kbit/s to today's gigabit (and beyond). And there's still plenty of technology innovation underway that will help take the sector to the next level, as Adtran showed during its recent 'Connect' event in London, where customers, industry analysts and the media gathered for an afternoon of insights.

Adtran Inc. (Nasdaq: ADTN) executives provided updates on the latest advanced trials of G.fast technology (including reverse power capabilities) running on ultra-short loops, which can achieve downstream speeds over copper lines of up to 500 Mbit/s at distances of up to 100 meters.

Of course, the real test will be in achieving gigabit speeds over a longer copper loop -- the more that companies such as Adtran can extend both distance and data speeds with attractive economics, so more network operators will become interested in G.fast. Plenty already are, of course: Adtran says it is involved in trials with more than 65 operators.

The company's latest experiments involve reducing the signal-to-noise ratio ceiling from 6dB to 3dB, which enables additional bandwidth with no noticeable impact on the end user. That is just one of a number of enhancements Adtran is working on, and with Amendment 3 to the standard due in 2017, coupled with advances in next-gen chipset design, it seems very likely that new landmarks will be achieved before the next year's London Connect gathering.

— Elliot Richards, Senior Editor, UBB2020