Dutch scientists use ADSL to boost possible fibre speeds
A team of scientists from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have discovered a way to borrow technology from ADSL and VDSL (FTTC) networks in order to boost fibre optic (FTTH/P) line speeds.
The Dutch researchers have examined a range of techniques, including implementing adaptive modulation techniques, to look at how the limitations of optical fibre cables can be overcome.
In general, ordinary retail or corporate customers are not going to be pushing fibre optic cables to their limits any time soon. They can handle Gigabit speeds without blinking and, if needed, could handle a load of several Terabits per second down a single fibre.
PhD student Robbert van der Linden from TU/e lead a team that researched different ways of manipulating laser lights and other factors to boost the performance of data transfers performed with such cables – without using expensive techniques.
Van der Linden also wanted to tackle the potential issue of varying signal quality between different users on the same fibre line. Optical Networks can connect somewhere around 16 to 64 buildings at once in order to save money, space and power thanks for the need for only one central data station.
He added: “In theory, every connection to a single home in a PON may be equally long. In practice however, the situation often is less optimal: some of the users are very close to the central data station of the network, and others are a fair distance away. Or there might even be an extra power splitter between them and the main PON.
“This leads to differences in signal qualities between the different users.”
The researchers worked with tech company Genexis to create a new system that uses existing modulation technologies to be able to use the over-capacity of a fibre optic cable: it works by matching signal parameters to data channels’ available properties, creating what the team call a “smart fibre” network.
As the techniques are simple and familiar already to broadband engineers, van der Linden says he believes it “can be implemented in a reliable and cost-effective way”.
