Status of vectoring on Openreach network?

What is the current state of play with vectoring on the BT Openreach network - is it currently enabled? In testing?

Thanks

Andrew.

Not enabled, but may be in test at Martlesham Heath.

Regulations over sub loop unbundling may be a stumbling block too.

Vectoring is no further than being tested throughout the world. The chipset manufacturers were doing connection workshops not *that* long ago.

Like Mr Saffron, I'd expect that it is being tested at Martlesham but probably not out in the wild yet.

I did find some interesting info from Alcatel:
Vectoring intro from 2011
Vectoring intro from 2012
Recent trial results, showing over 100Mbps for 400-500 metres
Troubleshooting with vectoring

Regulations over sub loop unbundling may be a stumbling block too.

Does this mean that vectoring would cause frequencies outwith the permitted frequency range to be used by the VDSL2 kit?

Thanks

Andrew.

No it more that that vectoring would impact on the other VDSL services that don't have vectoring applied.
Ideal world the two DSLAM would be linked so they can exchange vectoring information.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

the two DSLAM would be linked so they can exchange vectoring information.

One of the linked articles suggests that a 48-port card can generate 20 Gbps of vectoring data. That's a lot by itself, but once you aggregate a few cards, and need a longer, more robust bus between multiple cabinets, you're adding up the complications.

you know its been rolled out in active service in some countries right.

dutch telecom have active plans to use it and its been used in holland, belgium.

http://www2.alcatel-lucent.com/techzine/wp-content/u...

Edited by Chrysalis (Fri 15-Mar-13 06:02:24)

I'm not sure I'd define it as "rolled out" and "live". There may be some live field trials going on, but they'll be with restrictions.

Alcatel are very much at the head of the pack in developing vectoring products, so it isn't a surprise that we can see trials from them in "friendly" locations - Belgium and Holland being prime places.

The chipset manufacturers are still going through interoperability tests, so there isn't a free & open market for modems vs. cabinets - so anything "live" right now will require friendly customers, and restricted modem options.

It isn't far off, but it isn't truly available "freely" yet. Tantalisingly close though - and almost certainly this year.

BT tend to be a little more reserved (aka professional) at rushing things out into public service, wanting to be a little more sure about adverse effects on existing live service. They will be restricting trials to Martlesham at first - but I reckon live service here is more likely to be a 2015 thing.

BTW: The link wasn't anything about about live service. Just about the varying impact of vectoring on different pairs in a cable bundle.

yes that was intentional for the link, to show people here the impact of crosstalk, as some think its just a couple of mbit loss here and there.

And it does show that rather well.

This image shows what the impact can be from just a single well-chosen "disturber" line on the "victim" line (or badly-chosen, as the case may be). That shows how much impact can occur from just one "neighbour" taking the service.

My rule of thumb was that the Original FTTC spec would give us one-third of the ultimate speed, the 17a profile would give us the next third, and that vectoring would give us a final third. "us" being people within around 600 metres.

The latest trials suggests that Vectoring is doing even better than that, and works for people out beyond 1km. I don't know whether it will be enough for BT to increase the headline rate for FTTC though.

I also note a mention of a "G.inp" spec which replaces the FEC mechanism with a retransmission-on-error mechanism instead. That loses the fixed overhead of FEC parity bytes, and re-transmits blocks only in the event of an error... and hopefully there are fewer of those with the reduced crosstalk.