VDSL beats back Broadband bounds

1999-10-26

The fat pipe is getting fatter. Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) technology promised by Alcatel and Texas Instruments promises bit rates of up to 60Mb per second. And this is no pie in the sky, sometime over the next five years technology. Sample VDSL chips are already being shipped to equipment makers, with products expected some time next year. Compare this to VDSL’s little brother, Asynchronous DSL (ADSL) which can only (only!) deliver 1.5Mb/s.

Applications for VDSL already being discussed include running exclusive digital TV channels – for example a corporation may obtain a training channel with a predefined programme, direct from the digital broadcast site. In fact, what we are seeing is the stretching of the boundaries of the managed service – a video feed is one application, which will be coupled with voice and data feeds to give a truly comprehensive managed service. It is surprising that no-one has mentioned virtual reality which, even if it remains a niche hobby, will benefit hugely from the bandwidth.

Oh, but hang on. This really is pie in the sky, at least as far as the UK consumer is concerned. It is widely understood that in some parts of the US – Boston, for example, cables are being laid like they were going out of fashion and ADSL is getting its own display area in Radio Shack. Meanwhile, back in Blighty, we have a pseudo-monopoly in the guise of BT which has just finished an ADSL trial and is expected to offer a reduced service, well, maybe one day, at least in the London area. In the UK, we can dream about the advanced capabilities that new technologies such as VDSL will enable. However the reality is likely to remain virtual for a good time yet.

(First published 26 October 1999)