5 gig broadband could mean va va voom for VoIP traffic

IP telephony solutions could become more advanced and better to use if a new broadband technology platform comes to fruition.

CableLabs is looking into a broadband technology that could deliver downstream speeds of up to up to five gigabits per second, according to Multichannel News.

The cable television news website reports that CableLabs, a cable research and development consortium, is in the earliest stages of investigating a new platform for data over coaxial cable transmission.

A broadband network that delivered speeds of up to 5Gbps could encourage VoIP traffic growth, allowing VoIP phones to be used reliably and incorporate sophisticated features such as video conferencing.

A cable technology executive said that "if you were to convert all the spectrum in a typical cable system to data you could easily get five gigabits per second".

However, CableLabs is currently only investigating the approach, and the work might not ever result in a technical specification, according to Multichannel News.

Consumers now "expect more from their broadband" because they are using more and more sophisticated internet services, Broadbandchoices.co.uk said recently.

Broadband subscribers want more from their connection as they are adopting internet television services and VoIP solutions, which are bandwidth-intensive.