Luxembourg takes a further step towards very high-speed Internet access with the arrival of 8.5 Gbit/s fibre optic cable. Little by little, operators are starting to offer Premium subscriptions to reach these crazy speeds. But what is 8.5 Gbit/s fibre? And above all: what's in it for users?
In a nutshell:
- 8.5 Gbit/s fibre is based on XGS-PON technology, with perfectly symmetrical speeds, ultra-low latency (1-3 ms) and optimum stability even at peak times and during intensive use.
- Download times are plummeting: a 100GB 4K film goes from 13 minutes to 1.5 minutes, an 80GB game from 11 minutes to 1.2 minutes., 8K or 12K streaming instantly, with no loading time.
- The main strength lies in simultaneous multi-use It's the perfect package for hyper-connected families, streamers, content creators and intensive teleworkers in couples.
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This new generation of fibre optic cable offers unprecedented connection speeds, marking a clear break with the standard speeds offered until now (1 Gbit/s, 2 Gbit/s). The 8.5 Gbit/s fibre meets the growing bandwidth needs of Luxembourg households (as the weight of files also increases - 4K/8K streaming, ever-larger video games, etc.).
How does 8.5 Gbit/s fibre work?
Let's talk about technology: this development is based on the XGS-PON technology. It is a new fibre-optic transmission standard enabling exceptional speeds of up to 8.5 Gbit/s (compared with 2.5 Gbit/s downstream and 1.25 Gbit/s upstream for the previous standard).
In plain English: operators have installed ultra-sophisticated optical equipment at both ends of each fibre. In this way, information is transmitted faster and more efficiently.
This new system can accommodate up to 128 simultaneous users on a single fibre.each capable of receiving and sending data at speeds of up to 8.5 Gbit/s (depending on the configuration chosen by the operator).
With these upgrades, the XGS-PON standard offers :
- Perfectly symmetrical flow rates you have the same download and upload speeds
- Ultra-low latency response times of between 1ms and 3ms are optimised for all uses
- Greater connection stability : even at peak times and with very intensive use, the fibre connection remains perfectly stable.
Note that you can achieve these speeds if your modem is connected via an Ethernet cable. In WiFi, speeds will naturally be limited to the capabilities of your equipment, generally around 1 to 2 Gbit/s in WiFi 6 (more if you have a WiFi 7-compatible modem).
What's the difference with standard flow rates?
Speed figures may seem a little abstract. To understand the advantage of 8.5 Gbit/s fibre, simply compare the time spent downloading different types of file:
| Type of file downloaded | 1 Gbit/s Fibre duration | Fibre duration 8.5 Gbit/s |
|---|---|---|
| 4K film (100 GB) | 13 minutes | 1.5 minutes |
| Video game (80 GB) | 11 minutes | 1.2 minutes |
| Photo album (5 GB) | 40 seconds | 5 seconds |
In terms of download speed alone, the difference is impressive. Has a new game just been released? It takes no more than 2 minutes to download and start playing.
Are you watching a film in 8K or even 12K? No worries: just start the stream and you can watch it straight away, with no loading times and no interruptions.
A revolution in multi-purpose
The real strength of 8.5 Gbit/s fibre lies in its ability to handle several intensive uses at the same time, without any slowdown. For example :
- Do you work from home? You can hold a videoconference in 4K and download large files without any latency. Even better: you can do it with 2 people, if you telework as a couple. There will be no impact on the speed or stability of the connection.
- Do you play online? Residents of the same home can enjoy cloud gaming in 4K (a trend that is growing strongly) from several devices, while others watch videos on YouTube or a series on Netflix, or even stream a video on Twitch! All without any slowdown either.
In short, 8.5 Gbit/s fibre is perfect for families where everyone uses a phone, their console or their computer... and sometimes even all at the same time.
With these speeds, there are no longer any problems of slowness or network saturation.
Unprecedented upload speeds
It's often underestimated, but upload speed is an important parameter when evaluating a fibre offer in Luxembourg. It determines the speed at which you can share videos or photos, make video calls or upload files to the cloud.
With 8.5 Gbit/s upload, you can :
- Send a 20 GB 4K video in under 20 seconds
- Back up your iPhone files, photos and videos in the cloud almost instantly
- Live streaming with no latency and 4K or even 8K quality
Do you really need 8.5 Gbit/s fibre in Luxembourg?
An 8.5 Gbit/s fibre subscription is obviously more expensive than standard fibre (1 Gbit/s). So before subscribing, ask yourself what you really need.
Most of the time, 1 Gbit/s fibre will suffice.
However, there are several situations where 8.5 Gbit/s fibre is a real plus:
- For hyper-connected families If you and your children simultaneously use bandwidth-hungry services (4K streaming, videos on social networks, online games, videoconferencing), then the 8.5 Gbit/s will ensure there are no slowdowns on a daily basis.
- For streamers and content creators 8.5 Gbit/s: If you regularly stream content, produce videos or need the Internet to download or share large files, then 8.5 Gbit/s will give you real fluidity on a daily basis.
- For intensive teleworkers If you often work from home as a couple and you often have video meetings with other applications in the background, then 8.5 Gbit/s fibre will enable everyone to maintain an excellent speed and a very stable connection.
For all other uses, a 1 Gbit/s fibre will generally be sufficient for your home.
Finally, make sure you have compatible equipment
Have you decided that 8.5 Gbit/s fibre is right for you? Before you get started, make sure you have compatible equipment (a fibre modem that can support these speeds and devices connected via Ethernet or WiFi 7).
Ask your ISP about the equipment best suited to its 8.5 Gbit/s fibre offer.
So you can make the most of what this technology has to offer.
A word of advice If you're still hesitating, start with a standard fibre offer at 1 Gbit/s. You can always upgrade to 8.5 Gbit/s fibre if your needs change. Luxembourg operators can usually upgrade you to a higher package without any problem.
