dslreports logo
 story category
BT Promises 1 Gbps Over Copper FTTN

British Telecom, like many telcos here in the States, have been criticized for their refusal to upgrade wide swaths of copper network -- though the company says they've found an advancement that could deliver significant upgrades for those users. BT says they've been conducting trials of G-Fast technology capable of delivering 800 Mbps downstream and 200Mbps upstream via fiber to the cabinet (aka fiber to the node, or FTTN here in the States).

Click for full size
The problem, as is usually the case with these advancements, is that the speed continues to be highly distance constrained, something BT downplays in their press release:
quote:
During the G.FAST trials, downstream speeds of around 800 Mbps were achieved over a 19m length of copper, combined with upstream speeds of more than 200 Mbps. Impressive speeds of around 700/200 Mbps were also achieved over longer lines of 66m, a distance that encompasses around 80 per cent of typical connections.
Of course regular readers will recall a decade of amazing advancement announces for copper last mile delivery, most of which somehow never quite seem to make their way to consumers. Quite often users are still too far from the CO to have these advancements be of use, or the technologies require multiple copper pair that may not be available. Other times the technology may be available and practical, but the phone company in question still may not find upgrades worth it to drive it to second-tier cities and more rural markets -- even at reduced costs.
view:
topics flat nest 

buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH
(Software) Sophos UTM Home Edition
Ruckus R310

buzz_4_20

Member

So many things wrong.

Like promising gigabit and then saying we've got it up to 800Mbps...

And like always only a handful of people are actually within range of this.

And with all the fiber that would be run to support this why not just finish the job and go full on FTTH and be done with it?

Then you can go on squeezing money from the fiber for a really long time. We can do 40 gigabits over fiber now without issue. Tell me that isn't future proof?

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt

Premium Member

Re: So many things wrong.

said by buzz_4_20:

And with all the fiber that would be run to support this why not just finish the job and go full on FTTH and be done with it?

Because that FTTC is ducted and fairly cheap and easy. and the last hundred meters was often direct buried (in England) and would/will be quite expensive when it is time to fiber it IF THAT DAY COMES.

No home connection needs 40Gbits.

buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH

buzz_4_20

Member

Re: So many things wrong.

While true no home needs 40Gbits... Putting tech in place that is capable will keep us from being caught with century old tech that can't handle today's needs.

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt

Premium Member

Re: So many things wrong.

The reluctance is to sinking that extra $1000+ per house passed, when Gfast or PTP LTE from the cabinet or strand may only cost a couple $100.
even if it's eventually glass, the experience being gained and new methods being perfected during FiOS and GF builds make it cheaper to wait/go one small step at a time.

buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH

buzz_4_20

Member

Re: So many things wrong.

While I do understand that.

My current belief is that we may only get one chance at a telco infrastructure update/upgrade. And I don't want it to be half-assed.

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

1 recommendation

tshirt

Premium Member

Re: So many things wrong.

And the Telco might agree if the homeowners at each residence had to put up the $1500-$2600 for the ONT and last 100 meters of duct installation, like a sewer or waterline attachment.
But they also saw Verizon stumbled trying to finance the ubiquitous build everywhere. So they don't want to enter a 20-30-40 payback on a system that may never draw the critical mass need to pay for itself.
The truth is for too many that cellphone plan or wisp or cable is plenty/good enough and is all they can/will pay for.
The bell system level of ubiquitous 5- 9's service was only possible because every house and business was locked in to paying those high rates.
30 years ago "WE" decided to choose price war financing over bullet proof service.
dra6o0n
join:2011-08-15
Mississauga, ON

dra6o0n to buzz_4_20

Member

to buzz_4_20
From what I'm looking at, a 700/200 is advantageous in dense urban areas over current FTTN my area gets.

So at least any improvement is a sign of possible good changes maybe.

US is a major copper user, but this only benefits them in urban cities where buildings are less than 60 meters apart.

I wonder what's the rate when you test it up to 100m?
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: So many things wrong.

60 metes is only 196 feet. That isn't even a metro train in length. That is just a single high rise apartment building. Or 3 articulated city buses end to end. Its only use is in an apartment building from Fiber to the Basement.

fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

fg8578

Member

Where are the spare pairs?

Bode writes "or the technologies require multiple copper pair that may not be available."

With the massive substitution of wireless for POTS (as of Dec 2013, 41% of households are now wireless only, according to the latest CDC report), you would think enough spare pairs have been freed up to allow for such bonding technologies to be a viable alternative.

During the 70s and 80s, there was massive push by telcos to sell everyone a second line (they called it a "teen line") so teens could tie up one line while leaving the "family" line open for other calls. This meant running at least two pair (but more often at least four pairs) to every residential location.

So where is all the spare copper?
TheRogueX
join:2003-03-26
Springfield, MO

TheRogueX

Member

Re: Where are the spare pairs?

It was never 2 pairs per house. It was like 1.5 pairs per house, or so, with the expectation that not all homes would have 2 lines.

fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

fg8578

Member

Re: Where are the spare pairs?

said by TheRogueX:

It was never 2 pairs per house. It was like 1.5 pairs per house, or so, with the expectation that not all homes would have 2 lines.

Yes, thanx
pb2k
join:2005-05-30
Calgary, AB

pb2k

Member

This is not FTTN

Based on the article, this would be fiber to the pedestal or fiber to the phone pole, not FTTN. Pretty much all the distribution cable I've see has been direct burial, so you still have to do directional drilling (or trenching) to the pedestal, in which case, you're 80% of the way there and midaswell finish the job and go full FTTH.

Long story short: great for FTTB, useless for single detached or even row housing.

Soho97UK
Premium Member
join:2004-08-18
UK

Soho97UK

Premium Member

Years away ...

More info here - »www.ispreview.co.uk/inde ··· ial.html

BT still haven't finished rolling out their £2.5 billion VDSL2 FTTC broadband, so G.Fast - if it's ever rolled out, is still probably many years away for the UK(barring government intervention).
afn06011
join:2012-10-15
Florida

afn06011

Member

Aged copper infrastructure

Alright we will try and push more data bandwidth over aged copper infrastructure..
Some 50 plus yrs old. Cross-talk, noise ingress, dropped connections, poor performance during inclement weather.

Soho97UK
Premium Member
join:2004-08-18
UK

Soho97UK

Premium Member

Re: Aged copper infrastructure

Some people have surmised that BT may offer users the option to have FTTP when they install G.Fast since it will be so close to their premises - though since G.Fast isn't even an official standard I've no idea whether this is reasonable.

simonelly
@37.59.59.x

simonelly

Anon

Ill be happy with more

If BT just increase their customer bandwidths without forcing them to go through disconnections and 30 phone calls and new contracts and other non sense that will keep customers around.

Ill be happy with 500mbit. Most home routers don't even go up to gigabit and most home users are going to be using some rubbish wifi most of the time.

Ill happily pay more if it meant 500mbit.

Smelvin
@217.137.226.x

1 recommendation

Smelvin

Anon

Proper investment needed

BT will never invest in this UK wide, so its again a postcode lottery. UK Government should scrap HS2, and install the best available fibre network for the whole country and resell back to the big Telcos. The Government can handle a 30-50 year payback.

Soho97UK
Premium Member
join:2004-08-18
UK

Soho97UK

Premium Member

Re: Proper investment needed

Nationwide FTTP has been estimated at £25-30 billion, which seems like a lot, but if the network was rolled out over 5-10 years the cost would be manageable - like you I see government leadership as the most likely solution.