Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2

VDSL2 (Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2) is an access technology that exploits the existing infrastructure of copper wires that were originally deployed for POTS services. It can be deployed from central offices, from fibre-fed cabinets located near the customer premises, or within buildings.

VDSL2 is the newest and most advanced standard of DSL broadband wireline communications. Designed to support the wide deployment of Triple Play services such as voice, video, data, high definition television (HDTV) and interactive gaming, VDSL2 enables operators and carriers to gradually, flexibly, and cost efficiently upgrade existing xDSL-infrastructure.

It has been standardized as ITU G.993.2.

ITU-T G.993.2 (VDSL2) is an enhancement to G.993.1 (VDSL) that permits the transmission of asymmetric and symmetric (Full-Duplex) aggregate data rates up to 200 Mbit/s on twisted pairs using a bandwidth up to 30 MHz.

VDSL2 deteriorates quickly from a theoretical maximum of 250 Mbit/s at 'source' to 100 Mbit/s at 0.5 km (1640 ft) and 50 Mbit/s at 1 km (3280 ft), but degrades at a much slower rate from there, and still outperforms VDSL. Starting from 1.6 km (1 mile) its performance is equal to ADSL2+.

ADSL-like long reach performance is one of the key advantages of VDSL2. LR-VDSL2 enabled systems are capable of supporting speeds of around 1-4 Mbit/s (downstream) over distances of 4 to 5 km (2 ½ to 3 miles), gradually increasing the bit rate up to symmetric 100 Mbit/s as loop-length shortens. This means that VDSL2-based systems, unlike VDSL1 systems, are not limited to short local loops or MTU/MDUs only, but can also be used for medium range applications.

Profiles

VDSL2 is quite a complex protocol. The standard defines a wide range of profiles that can be used in different VDSL deployment architectures; in the central office, in the cabinet or in the building for example.

Deployment

Europe

In Belgium, Belgacom announced it will provide HDTV services (20Mbit/s) using VDSL2 to 60% of the households by Spring 2008. Belgacom is rolling out Alcatel-Lucent VDSL2 equipment in over 11,000 street cabinets.

In Denmark, TDC launched VDSL2 on January 21, 2008. [ [http://netnyt.tdconline.dk/publish.php?id=15305 TDC indfører 50 Mbit/s bredbånd (Danish)] , TDC Press release.] Cybercity is planning to provide VDSL2. [ [http://www.sonofon.dk/om_sonofon/presserum/pressemeddelser/arkiv/aar_2006/aar_2006q4/Press2006Q4-ID1401.aspx 3. kvartal 2006: Øget indtjening og vækst (Danish)] , Cybercity Press release.]

In Finland, Saunalahti was to provide VDSL2 in December 2006 to small area as a pilot project, but was delayed until further notice due to low firmware satisfaction.

In Finland, [http://www.php.fi/ Päijät-Hämeen Puhelin] started providing 100/64 Mbit/s VDSL2 subscriptions in 2007 Q1 for €69 to €79 a month.

In Finland, [http://www.nebula.fi/ Nebula] started providing VDSL2 pilot subscriptions during June 2007. Pilot is currently available for quite limited area, but it's probably expanding soon. €149 a month.

In France:

: Erenis is deploying VDSL1 & VDSL2 at the basement: FTTB

In Germany, T-Home, the landline division of Deutsche Telekom, offers VDSL2 services with download speeds up to 50 Mbit/s and upload speeds up to 10 Mbit/s based on FTTC. Residents near to the local exchange offices (approx. 500-700m) can also be provided with VDSL2-based services. It is used to provide Triple play services. The service started in late 2006 and is offered in many districts of Germany. There will be a deployment of whole Germany to the end of the year 2010.

In Hungary, T-Home is planning to provide VDSL2 from October 8, 2008.

In Italy, Telecom Italia was planning to provide VDSL2 in Q4 2007. Azienda Sanitaria Locale 3 "Genovese" is doing a trial of [http://www.versatek.com/ Versatek] VX-VER160 in campus networks.

In Republic of Ireland, eircom announced their plan to start providing VDSL2 within the year 2007. However there is not yet any firm date for any deployment as of November 2007.

In Norway [http://www.ngt.no NextGenTel] provide VDSL2+ nation wide and [http://www.netpower.no Netpower] provide VDSL2 in the cities Oslo, Stavanger, and Sandnes.

In The Netherlands, KPN is planning VDSL2 test starting in Q4 2006.

In Portugal, Clix (ISP) and Portugal Telecom is planning to provide VDSL2 in 2008 end, new technology of [http://www.ptinovacao.pt/ PTInovação] (PT Labs) called mediaDSLAM can provide 100 Mbit/s in a long range, 4/5 km of main "source", against 0.5 km.

In Spain, Jazztel and Telefónica are testing the deployment of VDSL2. They are planning to provide VDSL2 in 2007 or 2008 start.

In Slovenia:

: [http://www.tustelekom.si/ TušTelekom] is providing VDSL2 to enterprises.: [http://www.telekom.si/en/ Telekom Slovenije] is providing VDSL2 since March 5, 2007 to its customers.: [http://www.t-2.net/en/ T-2] is providing VDSL2 to customers since May 2007 and it offers speeds up to 60/25 Mbit/s on copper phone lines and up to 1Gb on Fiber Optic line.

In Sweden:: [http://www.telenor.se/ Telenor] and [http://www.telia.se/ Telia] are negotiating a joint venture to deploy the VDSL2 infrastructure at a cost of 10 billion Swedish kronor. [ [http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.108007 Snart klart för blixtbredband (Swedish)] , IDG.se.] : [http://www.bredbandsbolaget.se/ Bredbandsbolaget AB] started conducting VDSL2 tests October 2005, Bredbandsbolaget is now a part of Telenor. [ [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=a4DSZcsN3tNc Telenor Buys Nordic Internet Companies for $1.06 Bln (Update4)] , Bloomberg.] BBB is now offering VDSL2 at 40/10 Mbit.

: On March 13, 2008 [http://www.telia.se TeliaSonera] announced it would start deploying VDSL2. [ [http://www.teliasonera.se/press/pressreleases/item.page?prs.itemId=338042 TeliaSonera storsatsar på snabbare bredband i Sverige (Swedish)] , TeliaSonera.] Telia are talking about 30 to 70 Mbit/sek in downstream.

: On March 18, 2008 [http://www.bredband.net Bredbandsbolaget] announced it would start deploying VDSL2 on On March 25, 2008. [ [http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/it_telekom/bredband/article74511.ece Bredbandsbolaget lanserar turbo-dsl (Swedish)] , Ny Teknik.] However, Bredbandsbolaget has chosen to call the service "Turbo-DSL" rather than vdsl2. Bredbandsbolaget promises at least 3Mbit/s upload (with a maximum of 10Mbit/s) and at least 20, and at max 40Mbit/s when receiving data. The price tag is said to be 449 SEK per month (€47 [Price converted by [http://www.xe.com XE.com] on 2008-02-24] )

In Switzerland, Swisscom is deploying VDSL2 and it is now available to customers since July 1, 2007. Since December 2006 it is in use for IPTV.

In Turkey, [http://www.ttnet.net.tr Turkish Turk Telekom] is providing VDSL2 service from July 2008. The available options are 16 Mbit/s and 32 Mbit/s.TURBONET, a leading independent telecom infrastructure operator and ISP, is currently trialing VDSL2. Turbonet is scheduled to deploy VDSL2 services to its premium customers by Mid 2008.

In the United Kingdom, BT Group trialed VDSL2 during 2006. BT currently plans to launch ADSL2+ from early 2008 as part of its 21CN program to upgrade of its core network. In July 2007, Sir Christopher Bland, the chairman of BT said that BT was considering fibre to the curb and that VDSL2 was a 'likely development going forward' but that no final decisions had yet been taken. [ [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0257f0fa-356b-11dc-bb16-0000779fd2ac.html BT looks at ultra-fast broadband] , FT article.]

Asia

In Malaysia, TM is planning to deploy VDSL2 in mid 2008. Customers will enjoy at least 50 Mbit/s speed.

In Singapore, SingTel tied up with Ericsson to deploy a technical trial of VDSL2 starting June 2006. No service plans announced as of yet.

In Macau, CTM start to test VDSL2 at the 3rd season of 2007. First will be tested in two main buildings in Macau.

In Taiwan, October 2007, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) has awarded ZyXEL Communications to provide VDSL2 equipments (DSLAM and CPE) for its "Next Generation Access Network" project. The project involves 340-thousand lines and will provide high speed Triple play services to these subscribers.

North America

AT&T has deployed Alcatel-Lucent VDSL2 equipment in street cabinets as a part of its U-Verse service and plans to cover nearly 18M homes by the end of 2008.

SaskTel, a crown corporation of the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, has officially announced the deployment of VDSL2. SaskTel is using VDSL2 to increase the amount of bandwidth to its customers, allowing more HDTV streams with its MAX Entertainment Service.

BellSouth has announced plans to deploy VDSL2 starting in the middle of 2007. In 2008, they plan on having it available to 1.35 million homes. The upgrade will be available to their FTTC based customers. BellSouth, however, was acquired by AT&T (mentioned above) and its service area has received deployment of AT&T U-Verse.

CenturyTel is currently rolling out VDSL2 equipment along with MPEG-4 TV service to Columbia, MO as a testing ground for it's IPTV service. They are hoping to upgrade Lacrosse, WI by the end of 2010.

South America

IPLAN Telecomunicaciones is beginning to deploy Allied Telesis VDSL2 equipment to replace old LRE Cisco equipment among their 10K customers in Buenos Aires.

Australia

EFTel has commenced a rollout of VDSL2 compatible MSAN (Multi-Service Access Node) technology to exchanges across Australia as part of their BroadbandNext network. As of September 2008, EFTel have successfully installed MSANs in 55 exchanges in readiness for the ratification of VDSL2 in Australia. [ [http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20080620/pdf/319r6lv4blvmxn.pdf BroadbandNext Update - ASX announcement] ]

New Zealand

Orcon has signed a NZ$30 million deal with Siemens to roll out VDSL2 in 2008. Orcon's network will cover Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Hastings, Napier, Tauranga, Hamilton, Dunedin, Nelson and New Plymouth with "packages of broadband, video services, internet television and a phone line for $50 to $60 a month." [ [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10419276 New-era broadband faster but no cheaper] , NZHerald.co.nz article.]

Vodafone has announced that VDSL2 will be offered in the Auckland area, with availability taking place as each exchange is unbundled. Full Auckland coverage is expected by the end of 2008. [ [http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/C4BB0531C51A7A79CC2574570016A116 Computerworld > Vodafone to announce $50 million LLU investment ] ]

The [http://www.telecomwholesale.co.nz/ wholesale division] of Telecom NZ has commenced laboratory testing of VDSL2 technology. If successful VDSL2 is likely to augment its current ADSL2+ capabilities over time, especially where unbundled loop lengths are short enough (approx 1km) to benefit from the increased speeds. [ [http://www.stuff.co.nz/4560940a28.html Telecom testing high-speed broadband] , Stuff.co.nz article.]

See also

* Broadband Internet access
* DOCSIS
* Fiber to the premises
* Fiber to the x
* Passive optical network (PON)
* List of device bandwidths

References

External links

ITU official documents

* [http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-G.993.2/en ITU-T Recommendation G.993.2: Very high speed digital subscriber line transceivers 2 (VDSL2)]
* [http://www.itu.int/rec/recommendation.asp?type=products&lang=e&parent=T-REC-G ITU-T Recommendations: Series G]
* [http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/ ITU-T]
* [http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2005/06.html Press Release on ITU-T G.993.2]

Other

* [http://www.versatek.com/ Versa Technology - xDSL Solutions & Applications]
* [http://www.tracespan.com/ TraceSpan Communications - VDSL Xpert]
* [http://www.centillium.com/ Centillium Communications]
* [http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/ Alcatel-Lucent]
* [http://www.ikanos.com/ Ikanos Communications]
* [http://www.conexant.com/ Conexant]
* [http://www.netopia.com/ Netopia]
* [http://www.aktino.com/ Aktino]
* [http://www.iol.unh.edu/training/dsl/ The UNH-IOL DSL Knowledgebase (advanced tutorials)]
* [http://www.convergedigest.com/blueprints/ttp03/bp1.asp?ID=232&ctgy=Loop Migrating to VDSL2] ... includes graphs Download/Upload speeds vs. Distance for VDSL2/ADSL2(+)
* [http://www.convergedigest.com/blueprints/ttp03/bp1.asp?ID=234&ctgy=Loop VDSL2 for Business Services: A New Frontier for DMT Technology]
* [http://www.infineon.com//upload/Document/VDSL2_WP_072005_v1.1.pdf Future Proof Telecommunications Networks With VDSL2]
* [http://www.netopia.com/products/technologies/vdsl2_technical_brief.pdf The Standardization of VDSL2]
* [http://www.ovum.com/go/content/034303.htm Deutsche Telekom opts for VDSL2]
* [http://www.infineon.com/vdsl2 Infineon's VDSL2 Solution]
* [http://www.infineon.com/cgi-bin/ifx/portal/ep/contentView.do?channelId=-80658&contentId=173907&programId=46950&channelPage=%2Fep%2Fchannel%2FnewsChannel.jsp&pageTypeId=17226&contentType=NEWS Infineon VINAX solution used by Deutsche Telekom]
* [http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=93103 Overview and Deployment Issues]
* [http://www.comtrend.com/index.php?module=products&op=show&sn=44 Comtrend VDSL2]
* [http://www.broadcom.com/products/DSL/xDSL-CPE-Solutions/BCM6358 Broadcom's VDSL2 CPE solution]
* [http://www.ttnetvdsl.com VDSL2 Knowledgebase - Turkish]
* [http://www.metanoia.com.tw VDSL2 chip vendor Metanoia communications Inc. Taiwan]