Sckipio Technologies says recent tests of G.fast technology achieved broadband speeds of 300 Mbps at a distance of 500 meters by using two pairs of twisted-pair copper phone lines. The company also expects forthcoming improvements to the G.fast standard (due out later this year) to enable G.fast to achieve more than 500 Mbps at that distance, making the technology more plausible for single-family dwellings.
"Fiber to the home is a great goal, but simply too expensive to rationally justify on a per-user basis," said David Baum, CEO of Sckipio. "Sckipio's G.fast leverages fiber infrastructure, but eliminates the added cost needed to bring fiber all the way to the home. By switching to copper at 500 meters or closer, over $5,000 per subscriber of unnecessary expenses could be eliminated."
Sckipio says its technology is currently in field trials with British Telecom with both ADTRAN and Zinwell.