Nokia and nbn demonstrate power of XG-FAST with successful lab trial of technology in Australia

• Trial demonstrates capability of next-generation copper technologies to deliver future high-capacity ultra-broadband services and applications
• Technology positions nbn for network evolution to meet future ultra-broadband demand

Espoo, Finland - Nokia and nbn have announced the successful completion of an XG-FAST trial that achieved throughput speeds of 8 Gigabits per second (Gbps) in lab conditions. The lab trial demonstrated the capability of XG-FAST to meet nbn's future demands for high-quality Internet services using widely deployed copper infrastructure.

XG-FAST, a Nokia Bell Labs-developed extension of Nokia's commercially available G.fast technology, enables service providers to generate fiber-like speeds of more than 10Gbps over short distances using existing copper infrastructure. With a significant proportion of nbn's nationwide broadband network rollout being completed using existing copper networks, XG-FAST is being tested as a potential asset for future upgrades.

The XG-FAST trial conducted in nbn's North Sydney-based lab facilities generated peak aggregate data throughput speeds of more than 8 Gbps over a 30-meter twisted-pair copper cable typically deployed in field. A 5Gbps peak aggregate speed was achieved over 70 meters of twisted-pair copper cable.

Dennis Steiger, CTO at nbn said: "Although XG-FAST is still in its very early stages of development, the lab trials we have conducted demonstrate the huge potential that the technology offers. XG-FAST gives us the ability to deliver multi-gigabit speeds over copper lines - virtually on a par with what is currently available on Fiber-to-the-Premises - but at a lower cost and time to deploy. We are really thrilled to be the third operator in the global market to run lab trials of XG-FAST, following in the footsteps of BT last year and Deutsche Telekom in February. This shows that nbn is committed to delivering Australians the best possible broadband experience on the nbn(TM) network."

Federico Guillen, president of Nokia's Fixed Networks business group, said: "nbn's flexible approach to network architecture makes it perfectly suited to future upgrades based on emerging technologies like XG-FAST, which is designed to provide high-quality, multi-gigabit broadband over short cable distances. We are committed to further developing the technology to eventually support 2Gbps or more at 100 meters, enabling longer distances to effectively cover buildings and clusters of homes without the need to rewire. Nokia will continue to work with nbn to ensure they see the latest developments and technology innovation to evolve their network and deliver ultra-broadband to more people sooner."

Did you know?

• Technologies such as G.fast and XG-FAST use the last section of existing copper networks to deliver fiber-like speeds to homes and offices. XG-FAST is in the early stages of lab testing, but has exceeded expectations in trials with several customers so far.
• Nokia has over 42 G.fast customer trials and deployments worldwide including commercial deployments with BT Openreach, Chunghwa Telecom, Telekom Austria and Energia
• XG-FAST was successfully tested by BT and Deutsche Telekom.

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