Networking

VDSL (Variable Digital Subscriber Line)

Very high speed digital subscriber line (VDSL) and very high speed digital subscriber line 2 (VDSL2) are digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies providing data transmission faster than asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL).

VDSL offers speeds of up to 52 Mbit/s downstream and 16 Mbit/s upstream, over a single flat untwisted or twisted pair of copper wires using the frequency band from 25 kHz to 12 MHz.

These rates mean that VDSL is capable of supporting applications such as high-definition television, as well as telephone services (voice over IP) and general Internet access, over a single connection. VDSL is deployed over existing wiring used for analog telephone service and lower-speed DSL connections. This standard was approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in November 2001.

Second-generation systems (VDSL2; ITU-T G.993.2 approved in February 2006) use frequencies of up to 30 MHz to provide data rates exceeding 100 Mbit/s simultaneously in both the upstream and downstream directions. The maximum available bit rate is achieved at a range of about 300 metres (980 ft); performance degrades as the local loop attenuation increases.

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