VIDEO Demo of Superfast 400Mbps DSL Rings Broadband Technology

Genesis Technical Systems (GTS) has uploaded some new information and a short video demonstration of its patented DSL Rings (DSLR) technology, which could one day conceivably deliver superfast broadband speeds of up to 400Mbps (Megabits per second) into UK homes by improving BT’s existing FTTC (VDSL2) broadband ISP technology.

The solution, which last year won a grant of £250k from the Technology Strategy Board to help it develop and trial the service (here), works by utilising two copper pairs instead of one to deliver faster speeds and extend the reach of existing FTTC lines.

GTS claims DSL Rings effectively delivers two paths into and out of a single house, each with the potential of carrying up to 200Mbps (200Mbps Eastbound and 200Mbps Westbound). But this still depends on the number of bonded pairs and the actual distance from the DSLAM.

As always we recommend that readers take the GTS claims with a big pinch of salt because solutions like this have a habit of delivering well below what they promise, especially once introduced into a real-world environment.

On the other hand DSL Rings have perked the interest of more than a few national telecoms operators around Europe, such as BT in the UK. It’s more affordable than a true fibre optic (FTTH) roll-out but the reliance on old copper lines is still a highly restrictive element.

The following video demonstration was recorded during the recent Broadband World Forum 2012 event and uploaded earlier this month.

GTS is about to conduct series of field trials, one of which will be conducted in the UK and involve BT’s infrastructure, although the final commercial solution isn’t expected to be ready until around Q2-2013. After that it’s anybody’s guess whether DSLR will be adopted for the UK market.