New technological developments are reducing the pressure on telecoms operators to deploy fibre in their access networks.

ECI Telecom on Tuesday revealed that it has successfully completed tests of its Dynamic Spectrum Management (DSM) L3 technology with three European telcos. By virtually eliminating cross-talk interference between twisted pair copper wires, the technology essentially enables operators to offer faster Internet services over their existing infrastructure.

"When DSM L3 technology becomes commercially available it can offer operators the option to deliver high-speed broadband services over their existing copper networks," Ido Shargil, chairman of the iSMART consortium and head of system engineering at ECI Telecom, told Total Telecom.

The iSMART consortium was founded in 2006 to work on DSM technology.

ECI explained that while VDSL can support speeds of more than 100 Mbps, the technology is limited in its practical reach without DSM L3.

The company claims that DSM L3 can treble the range of VDSL service reach; for example, without it a 30-Mbps upstream service can stretch around 150 metres, but with the addition of DSM L3 this is extended to 450 metres.

As a result, the technology "can translate into significant savings in capital investment," ECI said in its announcement.

However, ECI insists that DSM L3 is complementary to rolling out fibre.

"It is about making wireline-based high-speed broadband available in places where fibre is not cost-effective," Shargil said.

He declined to name the three European operators involved in the tests and could not comment on commercial deals, but said the trials constituted "an important milestone towards commercial viability".

"DSM L3 technology should have its greatest impact for operators who want to provide high-speed residential broadband services and have large existing copper access infrastructure," said Shargil.

"VDSL with DSM L3 technology can be complementary to [operators'] FTTx strategies, offering a cost-effective alternative where it is difficult for them to justify the cost of laying fibre," he said.