Alchemy of copper: Telia Lietuva provides fiber-optic speed via DSL lines

Telia Lietuva, the largest telecommunications company in the country, is the first in Lithuania to present 'Super VDSL' (S-VDSL) technology, which allows using up to 250 Mbps Internet via copper lines. The first hybrid (copper and mobile) Internet in the Baltic States, the provision whereof started a year ago, allows its users to take advantage of stable speed of up to 100 Mbps.

Alchemics have been trying to turn ordinary metals into gold for hundreds of years, and this turned out to be impossible. However, it can happen in the world of telecommunications, and since now on, private and business customers, who have solely fixed telephone lines at home or work, will be able to make sure of that.

Telia Lietuva customers, who have a fiber-optic access in their apartments or houses, can use Internet of the speed of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps). To this day, users of broadband DSL Internet plans have been able to access Internet of much lower speed (up to 19 Mbps), however, everything is changing now - S-VDSL technology and its supporting network nodes provide Internet speed via copper lines similar to the speed provided by fiber-optic lines: during the first tests in Alytus, Telia reached data speed of up to 230 Mbps.

'We have the largest fiber-optic Internet network in Lithuania, which makes even Western countries envy us. However, there still are a lot of people who have fixed telephone lines at home. From now on, our S-VDSL technology will allow these users to have Internet ensuring an impressive speed and stable connectivity. This is especially relevant in Lithuanian regional centres and smaller neighbourhoods where a lot of people live in private houses', says Andrius Šemeškevičius, Head of Technology at Telia Lietuva.

According to estimates, more than 70 thousand residents and businesses having Telia Lietuva DSL lines will be able to use high speed Internet provided by S-VDSL technology.

Although in addition to fiber-optic network the Company also has the fastest (according to official data) mobile network in Lithuania, an important advantage provided by S-VDSL technology in comparison to 4G mobile Internet is the fact that Internet speed and other technical parameters do not depend on weather conditions or the number of users connected to the base station.

Internet speed with S-VDSL technology will depend on the length of the copper line connecting Telia Lietuva exchange and end equipment. If it is shorter than 700 meters, data download speed will be up to 250 Mbps, and if the distance is 700-1200 meters, the speed will be up to 100 Mbps. The maximum data upload speed in both cases will be 56 Mbps.

Both existing and new private and business customers having technical capabilities can test and order the new technology. Existing customers having DSL line will have to upgrade their currently used routers.

At present, S-VDSL technology is already being installed in Alytus, Anykščiai, Ariogala, Biržai, Elektrėnai, Ignalina, Jonava districts, Vandžiogala town in Kaunas district, Prienai, Radviliškis, Raseiniai, Šakiai, Trakai and Trakai district, Ukmergė, Utena, Tauragė and Vievis. In the nearest future, it will be offered to residents of Kretinga, Palanga, Priekulė and Salantai, and by the end of the year S-VDSL technology offered by Telia will be available in the majority of Lithuanian cities and neighbourhoods.

Telia Lietuva offers customers, who have fixed telephone line at home, but cannot yet use S-VDSL service, ordering hybrid Internet, which increases the Internet speed to 100 Mbps.