VDSL2 modems coming soon

Stuart Corner
Monday, 17 December 2007 04:53

Business IT - Technology

Australia's telecommunications standards development body, Communications Alliance, has released a draft standard for VDLS2 customer equipment. When finalised it will enable vendors to start supplying VDSL2 modems in preparation for DSL broadband services operating at up to 100Mbps. However one ISP's plan to launch a VDSL2 service in February 2008 is totally unrealistic. The draft, available from the Comms Alliance website, is open for comment until 25 February and the final version is expected to ratified by ACMA in April or May. However, development of the companion standard for VDSL2 network equipment, is progressing at a slower pace. Paul Brooks of Layer 10 Advisory who represents Ericsson on CA's VDSL2 working group, told iTWire "we will be starting work on that again in February," but could give no estimate of when a draft standard might be released.

Despite this uncertainty EFTel has announced plans to launch VDSL2 services as early as February 2008 . It said in November that it would roll out the service at a rate of 15 exchanges per month, with an initial schedule of 70.

CEO Simon Ehrenfeld, proudly boasted: " This is the most exciting event in the history of EFTel. We are delivering a service to the Australian public that is new, technically advanced, delivers the blindingly fast broadband consumers have been asking for, and leaves major competitors in our wake."

This was a very rash statement to make. Telstra will not permit VDSL2 signals to be carried on its copper pairs in the absence of a standard for network equipment, and at the date of EFTel's announcement (1 November 2007) it would have been clear to all involved in the standards process that the standard would not be available by February. However neither EFTel not its nominated VDSL2 DSLAM vendor, Huawei, are represented in the working group.