Ikanos claims G.fast variant shows 1-Gbps performance in Japan and Korea

Communications semiconductor vendor Ikanos Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: IKAN) says it has successfully leveraged a variant of G.fast to support data rates beyond 1 Gbps over 100 m in in OEM lab trials with partners in Japan and Korea. The trials saw the Ikanos technology achieve such data rates alongside VDSL traffic, thanks to a VDSL fallback feature that enables coexistence of G.fast traffic and VDSL 30a profile traffic in the same binder.

The fallback feature also will ensure backwards compatibility with deployed network technology, Ikanos asserts. The VDSL 30a profile is widely deployed in Japan and Korea, which makes this capability particularly useful in the two countries.

The trials culminated a year-long collaboration with Ikanos's OEM partners in the region to define the requirements and the desired performance targets. While not explicitly naming its partners, Ikanos included a pair of quotes from regional OEMs in its press release announcing the milestones.

"Growth in demand for technology to deliver ever-faster, more responsive applications and services is at an all-time high, with one of the key driving factors being the upcoming 2020 Olympics in Japan," said Hiroaki Nishimoto, general manager, Broad Networks Division, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. "We have worked hand-in-hand with Ikanos since the early days of xDSL, and together we have remained remarkably agile in responding to each new wave in demand for broadband. We are very excited to see Ikanos's latest demonstration of true gigabit performance, particularly given the strong carrier interest in upgrading all their subscribers to gigabit service."

"The rapid emergence of high-bandwidth applications such as ultra-HD broadcast with 4K and 8K content, high-resolution gaming, and multi-screen streaming are increasingly driving demand for gigabit consumer connectivity," said Kazunori Sakai, general manager, Network Solution Division, NEC Magnus Communications, Ltd. "NEC Magnus and Ikanos have enjoyed a strong partnership that has enabled operator deployments of 100-Mbps service ahead of the broadband adoption curve. Now, with Ikanos's demonstration of gigabit technology, we can see a viable path for Japanese operators to offer gigabit broadband services to their entire subscriber base."

For more information on communications ICs and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.