World-First VDSL2 Demo Gets 500Mbps Data Transfers 110
pnorth writes "Ericsson has achieved data transfer rates of more than 500Mbps in what it said is the world's first live demonstration of a new VDSL2-based technology. The demonstration achieved data rates of more than 0.5 Gbps over twisted copper pairs using 'vectorized' VDSL2. Vectoring decouples the lines in a cable (from an interference point of view), substantially improving power management, and reduces noise originating from the other copper pairs in the same cable bundle."
Wee bit limited (Score:5, Insightful)
FTA: "It showed aggregated rates of above 0.5Gbps at 500 metres, bonding six lines."
So if you happen to have six unused lines lying around and happen to be within half a kilometer of the fiber node and nothing else goes wrong you could get 500Mbps. Realistically you won't be that close to the node, you won't have that many spare lines, and for the sake of a "consistent user experience" (hi AT&T!) you'll get the same craptastic service that someone at least 1km out with at most two pairs would get.
But some PHB will decide to deploy it because his spreadsheet says that FTTH is too expensive, even if it is a one-time expense, and marketing swears that most people can't tell that their upstream is slow and their HDTV channels have been recompressed into mush. The only people who would notice are the ones who'd buy high-end service tiers if they didn't suck...
And the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
It will just be throttled.
Improved distance from the DSLAM? (Score:3, Insightful)
A much greater distance from the DSLAM would be much more needed than the improved speeds. Many people in rural areas can't get anything and would be happy with 5 Mb down if they could just get it.
transporter_ii
Re:Yawn (Score:4, Insightful)
Around here, cable internet is absolute crap due to all the students sucking the bandwidth dry. I don't care what they claim to provide speed wise, it was always slow. The connection would also just disappear for over an hour at a time most nights around 10PM. DSL doesn't provide the theoretical rates of cable, but what it does provide is a fixed rate and the phone company, as much as they suck, sucks a lot less than the cable company when it comes to reliability.
Re:Don't hold your breath in the US... (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh please, I live in Sweden. We have a population of a few million spread over a country that ranges from north of the arctic circle all the way down to Denmark and our connections are decent. Heck, my uncle lives in a tiny town with maybe 10.000 people in it, far enough north that some days during the winter the sun will never rise, and yet he has fiber running into his living room.
Population density is the most rubbish excuse I've heard for why US internet is crap. Reality is that your ISPs are ripping you off because your government has failed at addressing abusive cartels and monopolies, even promoting them in some cases.
Memo: (Score:2, Insightful)
To: VP of Operations, MegaTelco
CC: VP of Research and Development, MegaTelco
Gentlemen,
Congratulations to the R&D boys who have come up with this wonderful new technology.
Now, please make certain that this is kept under wraps for as long as possible so that we can squeeze as much money as possible out of our current customers who are paying for "special" data circuits. We'd like to continue to keep them bent over and taking it deep for as long as possible. We don't want to cannibalize our revenue stream until the competition forces us too and we are positioned to then squash that competition through a combination of lax regulation and our monopoly status. It's our wire, god dammit, and we're not going to let "innovation" give our customers anything better until we're good and ready to let them have it.