The International Telecommunication Union today said it has finalized work on the VDSL2 standard.

The very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line (VDSL) 2 standard will allow carriers to offer 100 Mb/s in both the upstream and downstream paths over their existing copper infrastructure. U.S. carriers, in particular BellSouth and SBC, were pushing hard for the standard's completion as a way to compete with cable operators and provide a triple play of voice, high-speed Internet access and video.

Ralph Ballert, vice president of broadband infrastructure and services at SBC Laboratories, said in an interview with Telephony three weeks ago that the carrier wasn't necessarily interested in pushing to 100 Mb/s but would like to get equipment deployed that allows them to offer a combined 25 Mb/s over loop lengths up to 5000 feet.

"Beyond 5k we're looking at bonding technologies," he said.

The ITU recommendation (ITU-T G.993.2) also will set the stage for more carriers getting into the HDTV market. Perhaps even more important, the recommendation will allow VDSL-based equipment to work with both ATM and IP networks.