In the test conducted in Hamburg, a download speed of 1,170 Mbps (1.17 Gbps) was achieved, complementing the test performed by the Dutch operator CAI Harderwijk, which achieved 100 Mbps connections, in this case symmetrical.

This speed is achieved by combining several physical channels into a single logical link, a technique known as channel bonding or link aggregation. However, this has a drawback: the coaxial cable spectrum is relatively large but also limited, and since it is a shared medium, using multiple channels for a single customer means that the maximum number of subscribers at a node at the highest speed is significantly lower than if they were using lower speeds.

To address this problem, the solution is to install more nodes, bringing the fiber optic network closer to the home and restricting coaxial cable to much shorter distances. Therefore, the required node density (CMTS) will continue to increase.

No details have been released regarding the level of asymmetry of the 1 Gbps link achieved, but we can get an idea from the proposal by the Galician cable company R, which suggested connections of 1,000/30 Mbps for approximately 2019.

According to Kabel Deutschland, it will still be some time before internet services require links as fast as the 1 Gbps achieved, but given the growing demand for bandwidth from users over the last few years, which will continue to rise in the future, cable networks will be ready to compete head-to-head with FTTH technology.