If you think that Ethernet cabling is only used within a local area network, think again! Teleste, a finish network kit supplier company for cable operators has signed a co-operation agreement with Essent Kabelcom; the second biggest Dutch cable operator to develop and deploy Ethernet to the Home (ETTH).
Like standard Ethernet, the bandwidth is 10Mbps for home users, but can reach 50Mbps using symmetrical data connectivity such as for business customers. While this technology is ethernet based, it has been designed to run over existing coaxial networks with minimal changes to the existing infrastructure. The customer end connection is a standard RJ45 ethernet socket/plug which can be connected straight to the customer's PC without a modem or adaptor.
ETTH is set to compete with existing Cable and DSL Internet service providers. Unlike DSL, ETTH can run over a long distance using amplifiers (equivalent to an Ethernet Repeater). While fibre can run long distances with minimal signal degration and support greater bandwidth, it is very expensive to install. Testing of ETTH will begin in the near future
in theNetherlands.
ETTH offers speeds up to 10 Mb/s data speed to residential customers without the need of active consumer premise equipment, and up to 50Mb/s symmetrical data connectivity to business customers. More importantly, it works with plain old coax cables. That means cable operators can extend the life of their present networks with only limited changes to their infrastructure. Since the technology is fully Ethernet based, subscribers won't need a modem or an adapter either. They can plug their computers straight into the wall. At the moment, DSL and Cable Internet providers are competing head to head. Both offer almost the same data speeds with 8 megabits per second as a maximum. VDSL, the fastest DSL variant, offers speeds up to 56 Mbps, but only at a short distance. Ethernet To The Home doesn't have that limitation; the cable infrastructure uses network amplifiers. Fibre has long been viewed as the next step in broadband because it provides access speeds beyond what is available through cable or DSL connections, or even T1 or T3 lines. Speeds would range from 10 megabits per second to 100 Mbps. Both Dutch and Swedish governments subsidise fibre network services to the home. Earlier in the year, Dutch telco KPN Telecom started talks with the city council of Amsterdam to connect 40 thousand households in the Zeeburg and IJburg suburbs to a fibre broadband network. Unfortunately, fibre is still very expensive. That's why Essent Kabelcom believes Ethernet To The Home is a better solution. A trial is to take place in the Netherlands in the near future. |
I find it quite odd that Ethernet has found its way into connecting customers and businesses together. Then again, the old 10base2 10Mbps Ethernet technology that used cable looking like a stiff garden hose could run up to 500 metres without signal amplification. Unfortunately, like with the standard analogue telephone, it is more suseptipal to surges from static and lightning.
It would be very handy for those who like to download large files or host large multimedia websites. Cable operators would be able to stream realtime video to a customer. Maybe someday, we will see the end of TV channels and be able to watch soaps, comedies, movies, documentaries and so on without having to record them or turn on the TV at a scheduled time. 😉
Source: The Register
