Ericsson today announced that its EDA VDSL2 broadband equipment has been selected as the basis for field trials being conducted by iiNet, Australia’s third largest ISP.
Tests verify that the equipment is providing extraordinary link speeds of up to 85Mbps downstream to subscribers, the fastest DSL speeds reported in Australia to date.
To achieve these speeds, iiNet have located EDA 1200 VDSL2 DSLAMs (DSL Access Multiplexor) in the basement of a Perth apartment building, reducing the length of the copper loop from DSLAM to subscriber to 100 - 200 metres. Optical fibre cables are used to connect the DSLAM to the rest of iiNet’s network.
“Our aim with this trial is to better understand if there is a commercial case for a wider scale deployment,” says iiNet CTO Greg Bader. “Customer feedback so far has been fantastic. The hardware works well and we are currently in discussions with developers and body corporates to extend this model,” says Mr. Bader.
iiNet has an existing broadband network using the Ericsson EDA 1200 ADSL DSLAMs located in telephone exchanges, providing ADSL2+ broadband access to over 200,000 subscribers around Australia.
The VDSL2 DSLAMs are another member of the Ericsson EDA family with the same compact size and modest energy requirements, making the equipment ideal for tight spaces such as basements and street-side cabinets.
“Today, around the world the EDA VDSL2 DSLAMs are key elements in several major FTTN/C (fibre to the node/curb) and FTTB/P (fibre to the building/premise),” says Colin Goodwin, Strategic Marketing Manager – Networks, Ericsson Australia. “The equipment is compact, rugged and – through innovative thermal design – requires no forced cooling. The equipment has seen service in such diverse regions as chilly Germany and sizzling Singapore,” Mr. Goodwin added.
Ericsson is a technology leader in broadband DSL technologies, and launched the first commercial VDSL2 deployment in 2006, receiving the International Engineering Consortium IEC InfoVision Award in 2006 for the best and most innovative access network technology.
Ericsson has continued to extend the capabilities of DSL with the recent announcement by Ericsson Research of the first live demonstration of VDSL2 with Vectoring and Line Bonding, achieving a link speed of 500Mbps across six copper loops.
More information on the Ericsson EDA 1200 DSL family is available here.
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About VDSL2
VDSL2 (Very high speed Digital Subscriber Line 2) is a wireline broadband access protocol which supports broadband access for residential and business users. The protocol offers the fastest speeds available for DSL today, but over relatively short copper loops. Real life implementations can deliver peak unshared downstream speeds to the user of 20-30Mbps on copper loops of 1km, and up to 50-100Mbps on copper loops of 100 metres or less.
VDSL2 is an enabling technology for next generation fixed broadband (fibre-to-the-node, fibre-to-the-cabinet, fibre-to-the-building, fibre-to-the-home), and complements exchange-based ADSL/ADSL2/ADSL2+ installations which typically operate on longer copper loops (>1km).
About iiNet
iiNet was established in 1993 and listed on the ASX in 1999, growing from a small Perth business into the third largest Internet Service Provider in Australia. The Company now supports over half a million dial up, broadband and telephony services nationwide, with revenues of over $400m, and proudly employs more than 1400 people in Perth, Sydney, Auckland and Cape Town.
iiNet’s goal is to lead the market with the best internet access products and then differentiate with genuine, plain speaking customer service. The company has its own high speed ADSL2+ network reaching around 4 million households across Australia, the largest Voice over IP network in the country, and is delighted to have led yet again with Naked DSL, recognised by PC User Magazine as the 2007 Product of the Year.
About Ericsson
Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 250 million subscribers. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.
Ericsson is advancing its vision of 'communication for all' through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27 billion (SEK 209 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and NASDAQ.
For more information, visit www.ericsson.com or www.ericsson.mobi.
