Robin Mersh, CEO, Broadband Forum talks: "G.fast is a low cost, low power, low complexity solution"

Robin Mersh joined the Broadband Forum as Chief Operating Officer in July 2006, and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in July 2010. Robin has authored many articles and has spoken at and chaired many broadband industry conferences and exhibitions, and has worked in the telecommunications industry for over 18 years.



TT: How fast is fast enough?

RM: This depends on the services being delivered. However, what the operator needs is enough flexibility to deliver the correct bandwidth, wherever it is needed, at a competitive price.
G.fast is the latest and greatest generation of DSL technology being specified by ITU-T and has been developed to help operators meet broadband targets by expanding the footprint of their fiber networks. It is a global solution for service providers looking to meet the growing customer demand and will provide from 300 to 800 Mbps with fast, cost-effective deployment, a breakthrough in self-install capabilities due to a unique reverse-power feature, and even the option to use the technology for mobile backhaul.

TT: Why is copper still important? 

RM: Copper is still extremely important as it is widely deployed in operator networks and can deliver all the services in a modern broadband network. Through our work at the Broadband Forum, we aim to give operators a way to boost their existing copper deployments as a valuable part of the multi-access platform that is emerging around the world. Technologies such as G.fast and high speed VDSL2 work well with fiber, providing operators the ability to capitalize on existing investments, whilst effectively engineering hybrid FTTx solutions to minimize costs, all the while maximizing the speed and reach of their superfast broadband networks. We provide the tools necessary for service providers to transform copper deployments into high speed DSL access, giving it renewed value and making it a key player in today’s converged superfast broadband network.

TT: Is fiber in competition or complimentary to copper prolonging technology? 

RM: G.fast is complementary and designed to support Fiber To The Distribution Point (FTTdp) deployments and may be the best thing that has ever happened to deliver 'fiber' speeds. It operates over the final copper drop wires between the fiber termination at the Distribution Point Unit (DPU) and the user. This is typically 50 to 100 metres, but G.fast is specified to operate up to at least 250 metres.

G.fast is attractive to operators because it is a low cost, low power, low complexity solution that combines the best aspects of Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) and legacy ADSL2. Specifically, FTTH-like data rates (up to 1 Gbit/s) along with customer self-install (there’s no need for truck rolls to bury fiber on customer property or for technician appointments to install equipment in customer premises).

The specifications, test plans and...To read the rest of Robin's interview then view the Telecoms leaders interviews.

Robin will be speaking at Gigabit Copper on 25th March (Munich). To attend book your place now.