XG-FAST: Towards 10 Gb/s copper access

Abstract

Traditionally, copper network operators complement a Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) strategy with a hybrid fiber-copper deployment in which fiber is gradually brought closer to the consumer, and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology is used for the remaining copper network. In this paper, we propose the system concepts of XG-FAST, a technology capable of delivering 10 Gb/s connection speeds over short copper pairs. With a hardware proof-of-concept platform, it is shown that multi-gigabit speeds are achievable over typical drop lengths from front yard to customer premises equipment of up to 70 m. When an additional pair is available, 10 Gb/s service is shown to be possible up to 30 m by exploiting bonding and phantom mode. The XG-FAST technology will make Fiber-to-the-Door deployments feasible, which avoids many of the hurdles accompanying a traditional FTTH roll-out. Single subscriber XG-FAST devices would be an integral component of FTTH deployments, and as such help accelerate a worldwide roll-out of FTTH services. Standardization is required to specify the physical layer and the interface with the fiber network.