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WWWombat:
I recently found a reference to a workshop run by BT Research 6 months ago, at Adastral Park. It looks to have been targeted at academic researchers in the communications field, and includes a fair amount of SDN, NFV, G.Fast, Optical and 5G content.

Presentations are available on the "programme" page here:
http://www.cn2winterschool.group.shef.ac.uk/

The G.Fast presentation offers some insight into where BT are aiming next:
- "We believe there’s another hybrid fibre/copper technology beyond G.fast"
- "A key aspect of our research is understanding the potential for beam steering to extract additional capacity from the copper cable"
- "We are now using MIMO techniques from radio to boost performance in copper cables"
- "There is a lots [SIC] more capacity to come from copper"

Beamforming? In cables?

One figure suggests that the idea is an extension of vectoring. Instead of "just" using the transmitters on other pairs to transmit "anti-noise" signals, the idea looks like using those transmitters to bolster the strength of your own signal, and get more bits out of it.

There's plenty more than just G.Fast, though...

burakkucat:
Thank you for the link. I'll take a look, later, once I'm back at The Cattery.

BigJ:
"A key aspect of our research is understanding the potential for beam steering to extract additional capacity from the copper cable"

That statement blow my mind and seems more appropriate to a sci-fi novel  ;)

There's little point in me reading the article as it will be waaay over my head. However, I wonder if the term has been "appropriated" from another field of engineering? In my younger days, I worked in electronics so I was quite confused when I heard the term "impedance mismatch" applied to object-relational mapping in the software field.

gt94sss2:

--- Quote from: WWWombat on May 21, 2017, 05:53:39 PM ---The G.Fast presentation offers some insight into where BT are aiming next:
- "We believe there’s another hybrid fibre/copper technology beyond G.fast"
- "A key aspect of our research is understanding the potential for beam steering to extract additional capacity from the copper cable"
- "We are now using MIMO techniques from radio to boost performance in copper cables"
- "There is a lots [SIC] more capacity to come from copper"
--- End quote ---

Interesting - I assumed they were talking about XG-FAST or as the successor to G.Fast. I read somewhere the ITU have started work on a G.mgfast (for Multi-gigabit) stasndard as they call it.

At least BTs slides confirm what we have known for some time though some doubters refused to believe:


--- Quote ---Openreach will initially deploy G.fast at their existing PCP locations and then move deeper into the network
--- End quote ---

WWWombat:

--- Quote from: BigJ on May 22, 2017, 09:23:54 PM ---However, I wonder if the term has been "appropriated" from another field of engineering?

--- End quote ---

In this case, beam steering is all the rage in research for 5G, and is part of ongoing efforts in WiFi. It is also known as "Massive MIMO".

The central idea is having hundreds of antenna on a base station, all driven slightly differently for signals destined for different users ... to effectively steer the best signal quality straight towards that mobile.

On top of that, you can make use of multiple base stations, in multiple locations, to amplify the effect. That needs very tight synchronisation, and centralised control.

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