Bell Labs contends its XG-FAST technology "can provide fiber-optic-like speeds over the existing copper landline infrastructure" commonly in place in the U.S.
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Alcatel-Lucent, Bell Labs' parent company, reports its new "XG-FAST" technology is a "major breakthrough" in broadband speed. In the laboratory setting, the company says it has produced "a broadband speed of 10 gigabits per second over a distance of up to 30 meters," that's 1,000 times faster than traditional broadband speeds, and 10 times faster than Google Fiber, the company's fastest broadband for consumers.

Bell Lab's new technology has not yet been approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which sets the standards. ITU, a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Geneva, Switzerland, "allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develops the technical standards that ensure networks
and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strives to improve access to ICTs to underserved
communities worldwide."