VDSL2 access tech booms as Alcatel-Lucent shipments pass 10 million

Alcatel-Lucent has confirmed shipments of its VDSL2 vectoring line equipment have surpassed 10 million, as the technology becomes increasingly popular among global service providers. The announcement was made alongside Proximus, formerly known as Belgacom, at a ceremony in Brussels.

VDSL2 vectoring is one of the key enabling technologies for superfast broadband access over existing copper fixed line infrastructure. Essentially, the technology complements fibre-to-the-home (FTTH), and enables up to 100 megabits per-second-over copper. Operators are under increasing pressure to maximise the capabilities of existing infrastructure, and the investments made therein.

Having deployed the technology with 27 different global service providers, Alcatel-Lucent claims VDSL2 helps operators match the increasing demand for high definition television, video on demand services, and an always-on culture.

The CTO of Proximus, Geert Standaert, reckons that VDSL2 is the key to maximising the potential of existing infrastructure. “VDSL2 vectoring, deployed extensively since January 2014, is a vital component for helping us meet our customers’ requirements as it enables us to quickly and efficiently boost the bandwidth available for the best quality services,” he said. “Today we offer 70 Mbps with VDSL2 vectoring with our b-box3 home gateway. We will continue to capitalise on this technology to enrich the experience of our customers.”

Many of the primary challenges with boosting headline broadband access speeds in urban areas stems are associated with maximising connection speeds in the last mile. After fibre infrastructure reaches the cabinet or distribution point (FTTC or FTTDP), broadband speeds can become slowed by congested and densely populated areas relying on a copper infrastructure with limited bandwidth capabilities.

Vectoring technologies, such as VDSL2, benefit operators by reducing the conflict between signals, and helps to cancel out “noise” being generated down a line. VDSL is a rapidly growing technology in the access market, something which Federico Guillén, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s Fixed Access Business Line, fully agrees with.

“We’re seeing huge growth for VDSL2 vectoring alongside our fibre-to-the-home solutions as more and more operators realize they need both copper and fibre technologies to meet their customers’ ultra-broadband demands,” he said.