Alcatel-Lucent Accelerates Broadband over Copper
Copper isn't dead, thanks to a new innovation that can now deliver 100 Mbps of bandwidth.
Copper connectivity predates the Internet as a means by which telecom operators connected their customers' phone lines. In the Internet era, demand for higher speed has often led to a conversation about fiber optics as a better, faster medium for connectivity.
While Fiber Optics technology does provide the potential for greater bandwidth speeds, the reality is that more than a billion people in the world today have some form of copper connectivity to their homes. That's where Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) is aiming to step in and help with new technology that enables copper to do more.
Alcatel-Lucent today announced the availability of new VDSL2 Vectoring technology that can enable copper to deliver broadband speeds of 100 megabits per second.
What VDSL2 Vectoring provides is a way to improve the signal that travels across the copper line. Alcatel-Lucent describes VDSL2 Vectoring as a noise-canceling technology that reduces the interference, among the VDSL2 lines in a copper bundle. Vectoring helps to eliminate interference and crosstalk across copper lines to deliver higher bandwidth speeds than VDSL2 can provide on its own
"With no interference, every VDSL2 line can operate at peak speeds, as if it were the only line in the bundle," Alcatel-Lucent's VDSLV2 site states. "With VDSL2 Vectoring, copper has new value. Tomorrow’s speeds in today’s networks deliver a more compelling and competitive broadband experience."
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of Internet.com, the network for technology professionals.
