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. 

12 #G.fast acronyms you need to know!

I love this from our friends at Sckipio, their G.fast media primer. I hint of tongue in cheek, but their 12 key pronunciations are fab....

 Key Pronunciation Guide

• G.fast:gee dot fast
• ITU:eye tee you
• Gbps:Gigabits per second (billion bits)
• Mbps:Megabits per second (million bits)
• Kbps:kilobits per second (thousand bits)
• Telco:tell ko (like co in Pepsico)
• FTTH: fiber to the home
• FTTdp: fiber to the distribution point
• DSLAM:dee slam
• DOCSIS:dock sis (like sister)
• MDU:either em dee you (or multi-dwelling units)
• TDD: either tee dee dee (or time division duplexing)

Sckipio are one of the sponsors of Gigabit Copper, hosted by Total Telecom in Munich on the 25 March. Find out more about the event or to book, visit the website

www.totaltele.com/copper 

The 6 most innovative companies making the most of G.fast technology

LEARN ALL ABOUT GIGABIT COPPER

G.fast has the green light but are you making the most of it?

In December the International Telecommunications Union ratified G.fast and certification is rumoured to be scheduled for the autumn. But is the telecoms community moving fast enough to take advantage of this technology?
Here are just some of the most innovative companies utilising G.fast technology.

Sckipio Technologies
The Israeli start-up founded to focus on G.fast technology is the current leader in this field. They have been working with many ODMs and service providers to accelerate the growing demand for G.fast technology.
And at International CES 2015, Sckipio demonstrated the first demo of ultra high definition television using G.fast technology over a G.fast broadband network.

ADTRAN
With the launching of its G.fast product by the second quarter of 2015 ADTRAN is taking G.fast from concept to reality. ADTRAN and G.fast are particularly active in Europe due to the difficulty of deploying all-fibre networks in part of Europe and telcos in the region are incredibly eager to utilise the technology and ADTRAN are making the most of the demand.

Broadcom
Broadcom have revealed a G.fast chipset family and G.fast capabilities for its gateway system on a chip. Providing the highest density approach for end-to-end G.fast equipment design.
As one of the first vendors to launch G.fast deployments, Broadcom has already made some vital ground in this relatively unknown market.

Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent’s ultra-broadband G.fast solution is set to become available early this year and will allow operators to provide their subscribers with much faster internet services. This means that operators can get fibre-like speeds over copper and rolled out to as many people as possible.
Alcatel-Lucent continue to push the boundaries further, as their Bell Labs has most recently demonstrated the capabilities of XG-FAST, extending the possibilities of copper even further.

Huawei and BT
One of the biggest waves in G.fast technology came when Huawei and BT trialled G.fast in a UK residential community. Whilst the trial encountered difficulties, there is no doubt that it accelerated the commercialisation of G.fast and brought us to where we are now.

These are just some of the key innovators utilising G.fast technology and these innovations will be discussed at Gigabit Copper conference 25th March, Sheraton Munich Arabellapark, Munich. The place where we can explore a variety of DSL technologies, provide a platform to understand the most appropriate places for roll out and discuss the future business model once G.fast has been deployed.

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