New technology allows copper wire to handle 825Mbps data speeds
Oct. 26, 2010 (8:00 am) By: Matthew Humphries
Network providers face a never-ending battle to keep up with demand from users for bandwidth while at the same time increasing the speed of their overall networks. One of the major limiting factors is that many networks still rely on copper wire rather than the superior fiber optic cabling. The networks therefore have to choose when to make the very expensive upgrade to fiber optic, and where those upgrades should happen first.
Thanks to some new technological breakthroughs, however, copper wire may be making a comeback. Current download speeds offered to end users range from 2Mbps-50Mbps, but we are all looking towards 100Mbps as the next milestone. While you may think fiber optic would be required for that, Nokia Siemens Networks has managed to employ phantom circuits to boost data-carrying capacity over copper wire to as much as 825Mbps over short distances of around 400 meters.
While the tech that achieved such high speeds may be a few years away, Ikanos has unveiled its NodeScale Vectoring technology allowing a minimum of 100Mbps data speeds over the same wires. It works by eliminating crosstalk on existing cabling allowing for much higher performance.
NodeScale will allow the networks some breathing space and some cost savings too. Its deployment is thought to cost a tenth of what laying fiber costs. Ikanos will be demonstrating NodeScale Vectoring at ZTE Corporation’s booth at the Broadband World Forum 2010 being held over the next two days in Paris.
Read more at GIGAOM and the Ikanos press release
Matthew’s Opinion
Digging and laying new cable is always going to cost a lot more than employing a new technology with existing installations. It’s also much slower meaning more pressure is put on an existing network while a section of it remains offline. Upgrading tech may take hours or days, laying cable takes weeks or months.
It seems inevitable that copper wire will have to be replaced eventually, but any breakthrough that allows that cabling to continue to be used helps. We do all rely on the network operators to think ahead, though and invest in their networks. NodeScale Vectoring should therefore be used as a stop-gap solution while new cabling projects continue to be carried out.
As end users we really don’t care about what cables are being used. All we want is a connection that performs at the desired and advertised speed.
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DetroitGeek [Geek Member]
Oct. 26, 2010 (4:58 pm)
I’m a little confused here. We’ve been running at 1Gbit with 1000-BASE-T on cat5e for awhile now with copper, granted with a limitation of 100meters. Can you clear up how this is a new find?
c0
Oct. 26, 2010 (5:54 pm)
@DetroitGeek, looks like they are referring to that “last mile” from the cutoff to your house, not related to ethernet.
DetroitGeek [Geek Member]
Oct. 26, 2010 (6:54 pm)
Guess I had my head in the box c0 thanks! I was only thinking of an ethernet LAN and didn’t consider hard line co-axial cable feeds into schools etc., and certainly wasn’t considering my RG-6 line that runs to the telephone pole from the back of my house and into my router.
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5 Comments
hodar [Geek Member]
Oct. 26, 2010 (9:47 am)
Worldcom has laid more runs of dark fiber than live fiber. Many of the runs have been in place for close to 10 years. During the Worldcom fiasco, everytime they made a run from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’, their stock went up a couple bucks – which more than paid for the run. So, many runs were laid simply because of the stock market reward – they were, and remain unused.
Laying the fiber isn’t the issue – at least not now. The issue is that the hardware that powers the fiber has not been purchased – so while the fiber is in place (in a very big way), it remains dark because the fiber hardware has not been connected at the ends.
c0
Oct. 26, 2010 (3:42 pm)
The US has really gone downhill in the past 5 years when it comes to speed and quality.
http://www.techpark.net/2010/04/15/broadband-internet-speeds-2009-2010-the-top-10-countries/
If you want a good connection, consider moving to where corporate greed doesnt dictate the market but the consumer does.