Presumably we can say vectoring if it happens will only be Huawei cabinets also.
That's not presumably, that's a definite. Huawei cabinets can be upgraded to use system level vectoring. The ECI M41's contain VTU-C64 line cards which can only support vectoring at a line card level.
It's a terribly inefficient method of vectoring. It would require every ECI cabinet to be rearranged so that each individual bundle goes to the same line card. ECI's will never have vectoring.
So, is G.Fast actually going to work with ECI cabs?
Nothing to do with the FTTC cab. G.Fast isn't connected to the fibre cab, but to the PCP.
G.Fast will work from PCP's with Huawei, ECI, mix of both, or no FTTC cab at all.
Its possible G.INP may return from April 2017 if the testing went well which was supposed to have been oct-dec 2016. I would guess if G.INP did work then perhaps we would see the new profiles..
Testing must have went well as it's planned for March now.
If that goes to plan they may look at the (x)dB SNRM target for ECI cabinets.
Naming it a 3dB trial is a little misleading as no line will go straight to 3dB. From the trial we've seen it goes from the current 6dB, to 5dB, to 4dB, then 3dB.