Huawei moves G.fast onto coaxial network

Chinese communications and technology provider Huawei has unveiled what it calls the world's first G.fast over coax multi-user access prototype compatible with cable TV signals on existing coaxial networks, essentially modifying a standard built for telecom twisted pairs.

G.fast is an ITU standardization initiative designed to help telcos wring more from their legacy twisted pair networks and essentially deliver higher bandwidth broadband services over traditionally bandwidth-constrained networks. Over limited distances, this means telcos can transmit up to 1 Gbps of bandwidth, obviating the need to build fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP).

Huawei said it has taken that same standard and applied it to coax, which already has higher bandwidth capability, to bring higher-speed bandwidth to legacy cable systems.

The Huawei technology flexibly allocates unoccupied frequency bands up to a maximum of 1 GHz for G.fast access, effectively providing a 1 Gbps downstream that can be shared by 32 users over coaxial cable, a story in Telecom Tiger said.

For Huawei, coax is just another transport method for G.fast. The company is already trialing G.fast over copper in Europe and has incorporated G.fast into its fiber-to-the-door solution.

"The G.fast over Coax multi-user access prototype is a perfect combination of our latest G.fast technology and coaxial network innovations," You Yiyong, president of Huawei access network product line, said in the Telecom Tiger story. "Huawei will promote G.fast standardization and commercialization to accelerate the build-out of ultrafast broadband networks."

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Telecom Tiger carried this story

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