BT and Alcatel-Lucent have achieved over 5 Gbps speeds using a potential future development of G.fast broadband technology known as XG.fast in lab tests at BT’s R&D campus Adastral Park in Suffolk and Alcatel-Lucent’s labs in Antwerp. The tests showed aggregate speeds of 5.6 Gbps over 35 metres of BT cable, a record for a full-duplex data transmission over a standard single BT line at this distance. The technology also performed well over longer distances, with aggregate speeds of 1.8 Gbps over 100 metres. BT sees this as a significant result, as most UK homes are within this distance of their local distribution point, be that a pole or footway box.
G.fast is currently being trialled by Openreach in Huntingdon and Gosforth, delivering up to 330 Mbps downstream. If the trials prove successful and UK regulations continue to encourage investment, Openreach aims to start deploying G.fast in 2016/17 alongside its FttC and FttP services.
