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Bell Labs Transmits Data at 10 Gbits/second Over Copper Lines
Credit: Times Live
Researchers at Bell Labs have developed a technology that enables them to transmit data over traditional copper telephone lines at a record speed of 10 Gbits/second, using two pairs of 30-meter-long standard phone cables. Bell Labs' engineers in Antwerp, Belgium, have developed XG-Fast to reach the speed record, building on the existing G.fast specification. The team believes XG-Fast could eventually be adapted to offer 1-Gbits/s speeds in real-world uses, which would reduce the amount of fiber-optic cable required to boost Internet speeds in cities. "Fiber can be brought to the curbside, wall, or basement of a building and the existing copper network used for the final few meters" to achieve the new speeds, says Bell Labs parent company Alcatel-Lucent.
Although consultant Chris Green cautions rural properties tend to be far away from telephone exchanges, he acknowledges XG-Fast could significantly reduce the cost of offering ultrafast broadband to those who would qualify. XG-Fast works by using a wider frequency range of up to 500 MHz to transmit data, rather than the 106 MHz range used by G.fast, but also works over shorter distances than its predecessor. A 10-Gbits/s connection would enable the transfer 75 GBytes of data in one minute.
From BBC News
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