In what is being touted as the largest deployment of the technology in North America to date, CenturyLink, Inc. has installed G.fast in multiple dwelling units (MDUs) in Platteville, WI. The technology will assist the service provider in delivering high-speed broadband to apartment dwellers using their building's copper and/or coaxial cable.
Calix has supplied its AXOS G.fast technology and Compass Consumer Connect Plus software for the deployments, which will support internet speeds of up to 500 Mbps and higher to nearly 800 apartments in Platteville. The use of G.fast complements a fiber to the premises (FTTP) deployment that supports gigabit broadband to the majority of residents and businesses in Platteville, but did not reach the MDU customers directly with fiber.
"We saw a great opportunity to use existing copper assets in our Platteville network to bring ultra-fast internet speeds to customers who live in areas that typically don't have access to these new broadband technologies delivering higher speeds," said Aamir Hussain, CenturyLink executive vice president and chief technology officer. "We take a fiber-first approach when deploying faster broadband speeds, but enabling G.fast over copper infrastructure helps us reduce costs, speed time to market, and effectively connect our customers to the power of the digital world in areas where fiber deployment is less feasible."
"CenturyLink's commercial G.fast deployment in Platteville, WI, is the largest single G.fast implementation in the U.S. to date, highlighting the company's commitment to delivering ultra-broadband services – including gigabit access – to its customer base," said Erik M. Keith, principal analyst of broadband networks and multiplay services at Current Analysis. "With the ongoing evolution towards unicast, OTT streaming video services, including 4KTV, demand for ultra-broadband connectivity continues to escalate. To this end, CenturyLink is leveraging extensive fiber network build-outs in conjunction with key endpoint technologies, with G.fast providing de facto FTTH services over existing copper access lines."
CenturyLink is said to be considering G.fast for other applications, including fiber-fed multi-tenant units (MTUs) and neighborhoods where the technology could enable high-speed broadband delivery via fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) architectures.
For related articles, visit the FTTx Topic Center.
For more information on FTTx technology and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.