Broadband speeds for internet users in America are often woeful in comparison to the speeds found in other countries around the world. The FCC is working hard to get faster broadband connections all around the country, especially to the poor and those that live in rural areas.

Vendors are also working hard to increase the speed of our web connections using existing methods while other firms work on faster speeds with new technology like fiber optic and wireless connectivity. Today, the majority of fixed-line internet is served by copper cables that have been around for decades.

As various vendors that make the hardware that allows broadband over cable wires using DSL technology make technological breakthroughs, the speeds consumers can get are growing. Nokia Siemens recently announced that it could transmit data at up to 825Mbps using copper wires for a distance of 400 meters. Huawei has also announced that it has been able to transmit data at up to 700Mbps over the same distance.

The fastest speeds in tests have been from Alcatel-Lucent with the ability to send data at 910Mbps over 400 meters. These fast speeds are achieved using different methods. One of the methods reports PC World is VDSL2 (Very high bit-rate digital subscriber Line) that sends data over several copper pairs at one time. The VDSL2 method also uses DSL Phantom Mode to create a third virtual copper pair to send more data over along with the two copper pairs.

Phantom Mode reportedly causes crosstalk that the vendor then has to eliminate using noise canceling tech very similar to the tech used by noise canceling headphones. The tech monitors noise on the copper pairs continuously and generates its own signal to cancel the noise out. The vendors getting some of the highest speeds are using copper wire with four pairs inside, but that wiring is not readily available making the dual pair approach more realistic. 

Sending data across two copper pairs is good for data speeds up to 390Mbps over 400 meters and vectoring can increase that distance to 1,000 meters. Products using these new techniques are starting field trials with providers now and should be in the commercial space for consumers next year.

Fiber optic web connections are already available at 1Gbps speeds in some areas.