Telkom 40Mbps VDSL trial details

Telkom recently announced that it would kick off a pilot project to trial digital subscriber line (DSL) services of 20 megabits per second (Mbps) and 40Mbps.

Speaking to media during a press conference held ahead of Telkom’s SATNAC event on Sunday (2 September 2012), Bashier Sallie, head of wholesale and networks, said that the trial would cover the following areas:

• Benmore Gardens (Gauteng): 19 sites serving 4,900 ports
• Fourways (Gauteng): 13 sites serving 3,600 ports
• Waterkloof (Gauteng): 14 sites serving 4,500 ports
• Durban North (KwaZulu-Natal): 3 sites serving 1,100 ports
• Durbanville (Western Cape): 4 sites serving 1,300 ports

Earlier this year, Telkom revealed that it had started to roll out 3,700 multi-service access nodes (MSANs) that will replace 2,700 older generation cabinets and add another 1,000 to their number.

These MSANs can be used to offer higher speed ADSL (ADSL 2/2+), very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line (VDSL), and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) services.

Sallie said that Telkom would be choosing trial participants through its Internet service provider, TelkomInternet.

However, all customers that are switched over to an MSAN would see an improved experience due to the Metro Ethernet network and reduced loop length [length of copper line to the exchange/MSAN], Sallie said.

He added that MSANs are equipped with remote line testing capabilities, which improves quality and decreases the need for dispatches.

The objectives of the pilot, Sallie said, are as follows:

• Validate technology performance and technical assumptions
• Test operations supports systems and business support systems
• Validate test processes / procedures
• Assess field readiness
• Identify challenges associated with the technical implementation plan

Telkom CEO, Nombulelo “Pinky” Moholi also said that they would be testing the cost assumptions they have made.

The trial is set to start today (3 September 2012) and end on 31 January 2013.

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Jan Vermeulen is a guest of Telkom at SATNAC 2012