Alcatel-Lucent has shipped one million VDSL2 vectoring lines to 11 service providers since launching the technology in late 2011. VDSL2 enables up to 100 Mbps downstream speeds at up to 400m and is seen as a short term way of reaching broadband coverage targets while FTTH is their ultimate goal. Operators who have deployed Alcatel-Lucent’s VDSL2 vectoring system include Telekom Austria and Belgacom. The equipment maker said it has also been involved in over 40 trials around the world, including China Telecom, TDC Denmark and P&T Luxembourg, which combined vectoring and bonding to double the distance over which 100 Mbps can be provided.
The company shipped 471,000 lines in 2012 and the remainder this year. While the number of lines/ports is the common metric, one line card can handle 48 lines. The number of customers taking up a high bandwith subscription varies per operator. Vectoring deployment requires new line cards on the operator side, in the DSLAM. On the end-user side, a firmware upgrade in the modem usually suffies.
A recent report by Broadbandtrends predicted that all VDSL2 lines shipped from 2014 onwards will be vector-capable, reaching a total installed base of 59 million vectoring lines by 2017. Broadbandtrends gave Alcatel-Lucent the highest score among eight VDSL2 vectoring vendors, with top marks in every category, especially actual deployment experience. It is followed by Huawei, Adtrans, Calix and ZTE.
