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| Bell Labs celebrates net speed record over copper lines | Bell Labs celebrates net speed record over copper lines |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A team of researchers has announced it has transmitted data over traditional copper telephone lines at a record speed of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps). | A team of researchers has announced it has transmitted data over traditional copper telephone lines at a record speed of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps). |
| Bell Labs said it used two pairs of 30m (98.4ft)-long standard phone cables to achieve the speed in its laboratory. | Bell Labs said it used two pairs of 30m (98.4ft)-long standard phone cables to achieve the speed in its laboratory. |
| It suggested the tech could eventually be adapted to offer 1 Gbps in real-world uses. | It suggested the tech could eventually be adapted to offer 1 Gbps in real-world uses. |
| That could reduce the amount of expensive fibre optic cable needed to boost internet speeds in cities. | That could reduce the amount of expensive fibre optic cable needed to boost internet speeds in cities. |
| "It will enable operators to provide internet connection speeds that are indistinguishable from fibre-to-the-home services, a major business benefit in locations where it is not physically, economically or aesthetically viable to lay new fibre cables all the way into residences," said Bell Labs' owner, Alcatel-Lucent. | "It will enable operators to provide internet connection speeds that are indistinguishable from fibre-to-the-home services, a major business benefit in locations where it is not physically, economically or aesthetically viable to lay new fibre cables all the way into residences," said Bell Labs' owner, Alcatel-Lucent. |
| "Instead, fibre can be brought to the curbside, wall or basement of a building and the existing copper network used for the final few metres." | "Instead, fibre can be brought to the curbside, wall or basement of a building and the existing copper network used for the final few metres." |
| However, one analyst noted that the tech would not solve the problem of slow net speeds for many other users. | However, one analyst noted that the tech would not solve the problem of slow net speeds for many other users. |
| "The problem that rural properties have is that they are usually very far away from the nearest telephone exchange - you can usually measure it in miles," said Chris Green, principal technology analyst at the Davies Murphy Group consultancy. | "The problem that rural properties have is that they are usually very far away from the nearest telephone exchange - you can usually measure it in miles," said Chris Green, principal technology analyst at the Davies Murphy Group consultancy. |
| "The speed jumps that Bell Labs have managed to achieve drop away at much shorter distances. | "The speed jumps that Bell Labs have managed to achieve drop away at much shorter distances. |
| "In order to get any of these speeds you would need to be close enough to your exchange - or fibre optic cable connected to it - that you could pretty much throw a stone at it from your door." | "In order to get any of these speeds you would need to be close enough to your exchange - or fibre optic cable connected to it - that you could pretty much throw a stone at it from your door." |
| Mr Green added that even in many parts of major cities, BT often only provides "fibre to the cabinet", rather than "fibre to the home" - and many properties would be too far away from a phone cabinet to benefit. | Mr Green added that even in many parts of major cities, BT often only provides "fibre to the cabinet", rather than "fibre to the home" - and many properties would be too far away from a phone cabinet to benefit. |
| Even so, he acknowledged the tech could significantly cut the cost of offering ultrafast broadband to those who would qualify. | Even so, he acknowledged the tech could significantly cut the cost of offering ultrafast broadband to those who would qualify. |
| Faster, shorter | Faster, shorter |
| Bell Labs said a team of engineers at its Antwerp, Belgium offices developed a technology called XG-Fast to achieve the speed record, building on the existing G.fast specification. | Bell Labs said a team of engineers at its Antwerp, Belgium offices developed a technology called XG-Fast to achieve the speed record, building on the existing G.fast specification. |
| To do this it developed kit that uses a wider frequency range of up to 500 MHz to transmit data, rather than the 106 MHz range used by G.fast. | To do this it developed kit that uses a wider frequency range of up to 500 MHz to transmit data, rather than the 106 MHz range used by G.fast. |
| The trade-off, however, is that XG-Fast only works over shorter distances than its predecessor. | The trade-off, however, is that XG-Fast only works over shorter distances than its predecessor. |
| So, while G.fast offers 700 megabits per second over 100m, XG-Fast can offer either a one-way data transfer of 10 Gbps over 30m or the prospect of a simultaneous 1 Gbps upload and 1 Gbps download over 70m. | So, while G.fast offers 700 megabits per second over 100m, XG-Fast can offer either a one-way data transfer of 10 Gbps over 30m or the prospect of a simultaneous 1 Gbps upload and 1 Gbps download over 70m. |
| While Alcatel-Lucent can claim this is a new record for copper cables, it is still a fraction of 1.4 terabits per second speed it achieved last November in a test carried out with BT over a fibre optic cable link running between London's BT Tower and a research campus in Suffolk. | While Alcatel-Lucent can claim this is a new record for copper cables, it is still a fraction of 1.4 terabits per second speed it achieved last November in a test carried out with BT over a fibre optic cable link running between London's BT Tower and a research campus in Suffolk. |
| Quick conversions | Quick conversions |
| Data speeds are usually described in terms of bits: | Data speeds are usually described in terms of bits: |
| 1,024 bits = 1 Kilobit | 1,024 bits = 1 Kilobit |
| 1,024Kb = 1 Megabit | |
| 1,024Mb = 1 Gigabit | |
| 1,024Gb = 1 Terabit | |
| Data storage is usually described in terms of bytes: | Data storage is usually described in terms of bytes: |
| 8 bits = 1 byte | 8 bits = 1 byte |
| 1,024 bytes = 1 Kilobyte | 1,024 bytes = 1 Kilobyte |
| 1,024KB = 1 Megabyte | 1,024KB = 1 Megabyte |
| 1,024MB = 1 Gigabyte | 1,024MB = 1 Gigabyte |
| 1,024GB = 1 Terabyte | 1,024GB = 1 Terabyte |
| So, a 10 Gbps connection would allow you to transfer 75GB of data over the course of a minute, or the equivalent of about 110 full CDs worth of music. | So, a 10 Gbps connection would allow you to transfer 75GB of data over the course of a minute, or the equivalent of about 110 full CDs worth of music. |