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Why VDSL2 is the Primary Enabler of IPTV

Although fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) IPTV initiatives are now capturing more industry attention, VDSL2 technology will continue to thrive as a key element of telco broadband rollouts for the foreseeable future, according to the latest market study from Light Reading.

"With about 1.3 billion copper phone lines in place worldwide, VDSL2 presents carriers with an opportunity to expand revenue-generating services across those phone lines with only a modest investment, especially as compared with running fiber all the way to the customer premises," notes Denise Culver, research analyst with Light Reading.

VDSL2 typically can be deployed for about one third of the cost of FTTH, which has caught the attention of carriers in Europe, Asia, and North America, regardless of whether they've announced fiber deployments.

Furthermore, Culver says telco deployments of VDSL2 and FTTH are not necessarily mutually exclusive. "In many cases, carriers are utilizing VDSL2 in combination with fiber, developing triple-play infrastructure even faster than they originally intended," she explains.

That infrastructure will carry the new services -- including VOD, HDTV, and interactive gaming -- that telcos hope will breathe new life into their revenue streams.

Other key findings of the market study include:

- Europe and Asia-Pacific are likely to see the most significant deployments of VDSL2 over the next 12 months.

- Vendors are working to address the issue of interoperability, which they consider the greatest impediment to the growth of VDSL2 deployment.

- Although IPTV is widely viewed as a key driver for VDSL2 implementation, service issues must be addressed before it will be a market driver.

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