The fastest generation of DSL technology, designed to deliver broadband internet over traditional copper telephone lines. The VDSL family of standards (ITU-T G.993.x) is particularly effective in hybrid fiber-copper architectures like Fiber to the Curb (FTTC) and Fiber to the Building (FTTB).
Technical Profile
VDSL2, the dominant second-generation VDSL, can achieve speeds exceeding 100 Mbps over short copper runs, typically a few hundred meters. However, throughput decreases significantly as the line length increases, which is why FTTC pushes fiber closer to the home.
- Vectoring: A crosstalk-cancellation technique (G.993.5) that minimizes interference between signals in bundled copper pairs, improving speed on real cables.
- Enhanced profiles: Later VDSL2 profiles with wider spectrum, known as "supervectoring," can push speeds toward 300 Mbps on very short loops. This marks the practical limit of copper-based broadband before transitioning to G.fast or full fiber solutions.
Role in Broadband Evolution
VDSL served as a bridge technology in the 2010s, allowing operators to offer superfast internet speeds by combining fiber backhaul with existing copper infrastructure. This approach delayed the need for full fiber deployment but also created advertising ambiguities that full fiber branding later had to address.
With copper switch-off programs underway across Europe and beyond, VDSL lines are being steadily migrated to Fiber to the Home (FTTH), marking the end of a significant chapter in the history of broadband over telephone wire.