Alcatel-Lucent company Bell Labs has achieved 10 Gbps broadband speed using copper telephone lines and a prototype technology.

The telecom network company, demonstrating how existing copper access networks can be used to deliver 1Gbps symmetrical ultra-broadband access services, said 10 Gbps broadband speed is a world record.

Alcatel-Lucent said 1 Gbps symmetrical services – where bandwidth can be split to provide simultaneous upload and download speeds of 1 Gbps – will enable operators to provide Internet connection speeds in locations where it is not viable to lay new fiber cables into residences.

Bell Labs used a prototype technology called XG-FAST, an extension of G.fast technology that is expected to be commercially available in 2015.

While G.fast will use a frequency range for data transmission of 106 MHz, giving broadband speeds up to 500 Mbps over a distance of 100 meters, XG-FAST uses an increased frequency range up to 500 MHz to achieve higher speeds but over shorter distances.

Bell Labs achieved 1 Gbps symmetrical over 70 meters on a single copper pair. 10 Gbps was achieved over a distance of 30 meters by using two pairs of lines (a technique known as bonding). Both tests used standard copper cable provided by a European operator.

Federico Guillen, president, Alcatel-Lucent’s Fixed Networks business, said: “Utilizing XG-FAST, telecoms can accelerate FTTH deployments, taking fiber close to customers without the major expense and delays associated with entering every home.”