I will be watching the trail with some interest as it may have the potential to squeeze even more speed out of ageing copper.
However, does this not have the potential to make crosstalk worse for those that are already affected? With more data squeezed down the lines using previously ignored frequencies, as they were below the margin set for a 6db margin, doesn't this mean that it will impact upon other users on the same cabinet? For me this means that either GNP will have to work harder (or add more depth to compensate for errors) or this will just end up being a zero sum game where once everyone has it on a cabinet that there will be more crosstalk and the end result will not be significantly different from what we have now. This may also have implications for those connected to a cabinet who are much further from that cabinet. Those users closer to a cabinet will see more benefit, but again, this will create more crosstalk and be a bigger problem for those who are further away.
With this in mind, I'm surprised that the trial seems to be with individual users and not individual cabinets as this has effectively ruled out a consideration of the above problem.
I'd also have some doubts about the ability of the current backhaul in many areas to cover the increase in available bandwidth that is now available to consumers, especially at peak times, but that is another issue.
Interesting times, and it is always good for a healthy and informed debate here on Kitz, so please feel free to correct any assumptions that I have made which are wide of the mark