Alcatel-Lucent's new G.fast solution to help operators provide more subscribers with ultra-broadband access

-- 12 customer trials - including those with A1 Telekom Austria and BT - demonstrate ability of G.fast to provide broadband services offering data speeds of up to 1 Gbps 

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadband World Forum 2014 - Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is launching a new ultra-broadband G.fast solution – to become available in the first quarter of 2015 – that will extend the company's comprehensive portfolio of very high-bandwidth fixed and wireless access technologies.

The new solution will allow operators to place fiber access closer to subscribers' homes, providing them with even faster Internet services as demand continues to grow, driven by the explosion in data and video.

The commercial launch follows 12 trials with operators, including A1, a subsidiary of Telekom Austria, in which a regular subscriber was connected in order to independently test G.fast in the field. This trial comes a year after Alcatel-Lucent and A1 conducted the first laboratory trial of G.fast with vectoring where they achieved speeds of 1.1 gigabit-per-second (Gbps).

Other trials have included BT and Orange. Eight more operator trials have been confirmed before the end of the year.

Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO of A1 and Telekom Austria Group said: "We want to provide our customers with the best possible ultra-broadband speeds at home. We were the first to trial G.fast using vectoring technology with Alcatel-Lucent a little over a year ago and we are pleased to take the lead with them again by demonstrating the first customer connection using G.fast."

Teresa Mastrangelo, founder of analyst firm Broadbandtrends, said: "In order to meet their customers' demands and regulatory objectives for high-speed broadband services, operators are increasingly turning to fiber-to-the-distribution point technologies. With its ability to provide fiber-like speeds without the time, cost and disruption associated with full fiber-to-the-home deployments, G.fast will have a significant role to play in operators' ultra-broadband strategies."

Federico Guillen, President of Alcatel-Lucent's Fixed Networks business said: "Quite simply, G.fast moves the goalposts thanks to its ability to provide fiber-like broadband speeds. The debate is no longer about copper versus fiber, as both technologies can provide what customers want. This means operators can expand their fiber footprints in the most efficient way, choosing between copper or fiber technologies for the final connection, to ensure no customer is left behind when it comes to getting ultra-broadband services."