EFTel launches VDSL2 while iiNet flags Naked debut

Perth-based internet providers EFTel Ltd and iiNet Ltd today announced plans to launch innovative broadband services, designed to help them take market share from the incumbents, led by Telstra. EFTel Ltd has announced the rollout of multi-service access nodes to 70 telephone exchanges across the nation at a rate of 15 per month, to provide access to its Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2 service. Declaring them to be a step above the more widespread DSLAM broadband technology, MSANs can also deliver ADSL2+, traditional ADSL, SHDSL corporate solutions, normal PSTN Voice services, IP Video, VoIP, and Bare DSL, EFTEL said in an announcement. VDSL2 will offer speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, around four times the current maximum speed of ADSL2+, and from 12 to 400 times faster than ADSL services. That said, the speed of VDSL2 is closely linked to user's proximity to an exchange, with VDSL2 users over 1.6 km away from an exchange experiencing internet speeds similar to that of ADSL2 users. EFTel has signed a deal with Queensland-based PIPE Networkds and Chinese giant Huawei Technologies to provide access to telecommunications networks, the company said in an announcement.Meanwhile, iiNet has launched a registration website from its homepage in preparation for the launch of its Naked DSL product later this month. The service will enable iiNet customers to set up broadband without the need for a landline phone service, eliminating phone line rental fees, a move the company says will save customers around $10 to $15 per month. Customers will still be able to receive and make phone calls through their Internet phone service, according to a company announcement. The full text of an EFTel announcement is pasted belowEFTel Limited (ASX Code: EFT) became the first Internet provider to announce the planned rollout of nationwide VDSL2, the next generation in high-speed broadband delivery.VDSL2 or 'Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2' will enable speeds of up to 100Mbps, 4 times faster than ADSL2+ and from 12 to 400 times faster than ADSL.The network, which will be called BroadbandNext, will be built on MSAN (Multi-service access node) technology. MSANs are a leap ahead of the traditional DSLAM Broadband technology being rolled out by most providers. MSANs have superior upgradeability, scalability, redundancy and environmental sustainability.Commencing in February 2008, the MSANs will be aggressively rolled out at a rate of 15 exchanges per month, with an initial schedule of 70 exchanges nationwide. EFTel will support the fastest and most advanced DSL broadband network technology in Australia.EFTel's MSANs can deliver VDSL2, ADSL2+, traditional ADSL, SHDSL corporate solutions, normal PSTN Voice services, IP Video, VoIP, and Bare DSL."Customers connected to BroadbandNext will enjoy benefits such as massively fast downloads, a wider range of service types, and improved levels of customer support from a smarter network," CEO Simon Ehrenfeld said today."Apart from delivering superior services to customers, the rollout brings EFTel some freedom from the Telstra cost prison.""This week, the ACCC handed down its final LSS (line sharing service) decision, maintaining its pricing guidance. This is excellent news for users as well as providers who are installing infrastructure. A key means of ensuring margin growth is to own strategically selected pieces of the infrastructure that give rapid payback. In this way we can deliver value-added services and at the same time reduce costs.""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" he said.EFTel is partnering with PIPE Networks (ASX Code: PWK) and Chinese giant Huawei Technologies to ensure the most sophisticated and effective network capacity in Australia. Huawei is a leader in providing next generation telecommunications networks, serving 31 of the world's top 50 telco operators, with over one billion end users worldwide. PIPE owns and operates Australia's largest Internet exchange, and an Australia-wide network of fibre-optic cable serving over 180 telephone exchanges."Customers can look forward to much faster broadband speeds early in 2008, when the first exchanges are connected to the BroadbandNext network," Major Projects Manager Luke MacKinnon said today."After dialogue between EFTel and telcos of varying sizes throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas, it is clear to us that VDSL2 is also the technology which will be best suited to a Fibre to the Node (FTTN) environment in the future. If and when FTTN occurs, the network infrastructure will be redeployable," he said.EFTel Ltd will be retailing VDSL2 and its other new services through its flagship EFTel retail brand as well as its aaNet brand. Its wholesale division, DFT Wholesale Internet, will be offering access to its numerous ISP customers. EFTel currently serves around 25% of Australia's Internet Service Providers with IP bandwidth, co-location, and wholesale ADSL solutions. EFTel Corporate will be offering an exciting new suite of high powered business solutions that the technology offers.VDSL2 is expected to be certified for use on the public switched telephone network in the first quarter of 2008. The full text of an iiNet announcement is pasted belowiiNet flags imminent Naked DSL LaunchNaked DSL information and registration site now open01 November, 2007 - In a clear signal that its customer trials have been successful, iiNet Limited (ASX: IIN) today opened an information and registration website, www.iinet.net.au/gonaked in preparation for the launch of its Naked DSL product later this month.At the website, potential customers or interested parties are able to learn about Naked DSL and its consumer benefits, and can also register their interest in the new product. iiNet will use the registrations to update individuals on the availability of Naked DSL.Naked DSL enables eligible customers to have fast broadband without the need for a landline phone service, eliminating costly phone line rental fees. Customers can still receive and make phone calls through their Internet phone service, which allows additional savings on Internet calls, compared to standard landline call charges. Michael Malone, iiNet's Managing Director said Naked DSL released customers from their costly landline phone service."This is a significant step forward in the evolution of broadband services for Australian consumers. We are all increasingly relying on mobile phones and the Internet for making our phone calls," he said. "Many people are now paying for a compulsory landline phone service they just don't use.""Naked DSL will save people monthly phone line rental fees whilst still providing full speed ADSL2+ broadband with a broadband phone service that provides far cheaper call rates than a landline phone service."Pricing for the new Naked DSL product is expected to begin at around $10-$15 a month less than consumers typically pay for their broadband and line rental at the moment.iiNet has been testing its Naked DSL product over the past two months and has reported positive feedback from the trial participants. iiNet plans to launch the product for general sale later this month.

What is VDSL / VDSL2 ?

Very High Bit Rate DSL 2 (VDSL2), a new standard is likely to be ratified by next week, making it possible for carriers to provide upto 100 megabits per second connections (both up and down) over copper lines. VDSL2 standard has been under review with the International Telecommunications Union for sometime now, and the decision on the standard could come early next week.
VDSL2 is really really fast. How fast? According to Ikanos estimates, it takes an “ADSL network more than 45 minutes to transmit up to 50 high-resolution photos at 3 Mb per photo. Sending the same number of photos can take less than a minute over VDSL/VDSL2 networks.”
VDSL, though once thought of as a good solution for bringing more bandwidth to the home has lagged because of its lack of reach. It has become popular in the overseas markets because densely populated countries like China and Korea have central offices that are much closer to consumer premises. VDSL2 standard, which uses about 30 MHz of spectrum (versus 12 MHz in VDSL) allows more data to be sent at higher speeds and over longer distances. BellSouth and SBC have plans to use super-fast DSL to connect their fiber nodes to consumer homes. Qwest for instance has about 40,000 customers who are using VDSL technologies. But eventually if they want to offer true triple play with high-definition streams, they will eventually have to migrate to VDSL2 technology which can handle three HDTV streams with relative ease. (Three HD streams at the very least because at present average American home has 3.1 televisions.) Of course there is that whole issue of US homes being too far from the Central office. The good news is that VDSL2 is going to be backward compatible with ADSL, ADSL2 and VDSL.
Here is a little comparison of more recent flavors of DSL

• ADSL has speeds up to 8 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. Can be deployed from Central office and has a range of 15,000 feet and longer.
• ADSL2+ has a maximum speed of 25 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. Can be deployed from Central office and has a range of 15,000 feet and longer
• VDSL , some chipsets that use the optional spectrum of 30 MHz can do 100 Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upstream. Current carriers include NTT, KDDI, Korea Telecom, and Softbank BB of Japan. Has a range of about 5,000 feet
• VDSL2 has speeds of 100 Mbps downstream and 100 Mbps upstream. Has a range of about 12000

Short Comparison:

• DSL (ADSL) is limited to about 8 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream.
• ADSL2 is limited to about 25 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream.
• VDSL (Very High Bit Rate DSL) is limited to about 100 Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upstream.
• VDSL2 is limited to about 100 Mbps downstream and 100 Mbps upstream.

D2 Technologies Announces Software, Partnership

Santa Barbara-based D2 Technologies, a provider of software for mobile phones, has announced a new software product focused on providing VoIP to mobile phones.
The company said that its VPort MP product now supports a number of voice-over-IP capabilities which are being used by mobile providers to link WiFi and cell networks.
Separately, D2 said that it has partnered with Ikanos Communications, which will use D2's Voice over Internet Protocol software in conjunction with its VDSL2 processor.
The combined products are targeted at designers and manufacturers of residential gateways. posted on Monday, October 29, 2007

ZyXEL Picks up Chunghwa Telecom's First VDSL2 Equipment Tender for 340,000 Lines

ZyXEL Communications, supplier of broadband Internet access devices, routers, ISDN terminal adapters, and high performance modems, is maintaining the growing momentum with the latest gain of VDSL2 equipment offer from Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), Taiwan’s biggest telecom player.

With firm plans to complete the construction of “next generation access network” project by 2013, CHT has made an investment of NT$60 billion (US$1.9 billion), deciding also to hand over the job to ZyXEL, which has been showing superior performance with its active Ethernet ETTx solution and multi-service features targeted at service providers. The 340,000 line deal is the largest and most complex order for a single tender to date.

“Winning several CHT tenders in a row is recognition of ZyXEL’s technical expertise and competitiveness,” says Dr. Yuh-Long Chen, President of ZyXEL Communications. “ZyXEL will take full advantage of its experience obtained from major overseas VDSL projects to help CHT deploy an island-wide broadband network. We are confident that our professional experience and knowledge will lay a solid foundation for our relationship with CHT.”

Under this deal, ZyXEL will provide VDSL2 devices including 8- and 16-port VES1600 Series VDSL2 rack- and wall-mountable environment hardened switches and the IES5005 chassis based unit for remote FTTB/FTTC deployment, and an integrated VDSL2 gateway with built-in 4-port router and WiFi.

ZyXEL switches deliver enhanced Quality of Service mechanism and Dual-Rate-3-Color, for CHT. In addition to Dual-Rate-3-Color, 64 Kbps increment has the capability to offer CHT the flexibility of bandwidth adjustment for various bandwidth sets as per the customer demand. ZyXEL VDSL2 DSLAMs can offer the choice between AC and DC power. The solution enables CHT to offer value-added triple play and interactive media services such as Multimedia on Demand (MOD).

Next Generation Network (NGN) is a completely digitized communications architecture which amalgamates fixed-line, mobile phone, and internet data services in a single network platform.

D2 Technologies and Ikanos Unveil Integrated Design for VoIP-Enabled Quadruple Play Devices

D2 Technologies, the market leader in embedded software platforms that power IP communications, and Ikanos Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:IKAN), a leading developer and provider of Fiber Fast? broadband solutions, today unveiled a quadruple play residential gateway with D2?s voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) software. Attendees at the Fall VON 2007 conference can see a demonstration of the Ikanos Fusiv® Vx180 optimized with D2 Technologies? vPort embedded VoIP software in Suite 105 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Oct. The solution, which combines Ikanos? Fusiv Vx180 VDSL2 gateway processor with D2?s vPort VoIP software, enables designers and manufacturers to quickly deliver residential gateways that support voice, video, data and mobile wireless services. The residential gateway design also accelerates the rollout of new VDSL2 customer premises equipment (CPE) for the home office or small- to medium-size businesses, offering comprehensive quality of service (QoS) for VoIP and Internet protocol television (IPTV) applications.
?By integrating our Fusiv technology with D2?s vPort platform, we are able to offer original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) more flexibility and choice in developing products that will support unified communications offerings around the world,? said Dean Westman, vice president and general manager of Ikanos? Gateway Products Group. ?This platform further enriches the Fusiv eco-system, enabling customers to benefit from a variety of solutions that utilize the advanced processing capabilities of Ikanos? industry-leading Vx180 gateway processor.?
The Fusiv Vx180 multi-mode VDSL2 gateway processor provides 2.7 GHz of processing power, VoIP, multimode DSL and security, and supports best-in-class QoS and wire speed performance. With the Fusiv Vx180, space and power requirements are lower because it combines Ikanos? industry-leading VDSL2 CPE PHY and its widely deployed Fusiv network processor architecture onto a single chip. The gateway processor is optimized for IPTV and triple play with features such as dynamic rate repartitioning (DRR) and seamless rate adaptation (SRA), which are expected to be incorporated into Future standards enhancements.
D2's vPort embedded VoIP software offers the industry?s broadest support for integrated circuit and system on a chip (IC/SoC) designs, including ARM- and MIPS-based architectures. It enables manufacturers to rapidly deliver the latest IP communications devices by ensuring networking, signaling and voice processing functions execute as an integrated solution on a single processor. D2?s VoIP software solutions are field proven, processing more than 45 billion minutes of VoIP traffic in customer-deployed products per month.
?Ikanos and D2 have the same goal: to help designers and manufacturers bring full-featured communications solutions to market quickly and economically,? said Doug Makishima, vice president of marketing and sales at D2 Technologies. ?By combining the strengths of our technologies, we now offer OEMs a way to simultaneously simplify design and improve the Performance of VoIP-enabled gateway products for the fastest-growing market segment -- consumers and small businesses.?