The 2-Minute Guide to UltraSpeed Broadband and 10Gbps Optical Network Router

Who doesn’t want speedy Wi-Fi? That’s easy enough – we all do.

Case in point, we want our favourite content and services to be available the second we need them, but having multiple devices competing for bandwidth, especially at home, creates lag.

However, with the release of our UltraSpeed Broadband as well as our StarHub-exclusive 10Gbps Integrated Optical Network Router (ONR), it’s time to leave such problems in the dust.

Not sure what these terms are all about? Worry not - we’ve condensed everything you need to know about it here.

What’s UltraSpeed again?

Built upon the next-gen XGS-PON network architecture, StarHub’s UltraSpeed Broadband boasts up to 10x the speed of conventional 1Gbps connections as well as symmetrical upload and download speeds.

The former is where all the talk about “10Gbps speeds” comes from, and it isn’t just super-fast. More importantly, UltraSpeed is also designed to manage multiple high-intensity Wi-Fi loads at the same time, which is useful considering most of us own and use several smart devices nowadays.

You mentioned a router. What’s that about?

Basically, it’s the most advanced 10Gbps WiFi 6 router on the market, offering a total combined bandwidth of up to 6,000Mbps - that’s 43% more than your average router.

Packed with all the tech you’d need for your next-gen home broadband setup, it’s the perfect partner to pair with an UltraSpeed subscription, mainly because of how it simplifies the flow of network traffic between your devices and the Internet.

What’s so special about it?

Externally, the router- specifically, the Nokia XS-2426X-A-ONR, comes equipped with one dedicated 10G LAN port, three 1G LAN ports, standard wireless connectivity and even Mesh support for those annoying “dead spots” at home. But where this “box” really shines has nothing to do with ports – it’s in the process.

To recap, in traditional home broadband setups, our routers are effectively checkpoints for network traffic, operating as the “middleman” between our various devices, the modem and the digital cloud.

However, the more steps are involved in any process, the slower it tends to be and the greater the possibility of something going wrong. So, what the Optical Network Router does is remove an entire step. Instead of going through a modem first, fibre optic cables can be directly connected to the ONR, meaning that network traffic now makes one less stop before reaching its destination.

So, with one lesser point of failure to worry about, everyone gets to enjoy significantly faster broadband speeds.

What are “symmetrical downloads and upload speeds”?

Did you know that the maximum download and upload speeds in Singapore on current GPON networks are 2.5Gbps and 1.25Gbps respectively?

In other words, uploading a piece of content to the online cloud usually takes longer than it would to download it, and this happens because the existing network architecture isn’t made to manage uploads as efficiently.

This is where the new XGS-PON network architecture comes in, and it stands for Gigabit-capable Symmetric Passive Optical Network. It is constructed in a way that allows UltraSpeed users to enjoy the same speeds in either direction – hence the term symmetrical.

The end result? Better, faster connectivity, even with multiple devices on the network. Plus, it’s completely lag-free – perfect for all our gamer and content creator friends out there.

But I’m not a content creator, right?

Perhaps not in the conventional sense.

Every day, millions of people interact with and store information on services like Google Drive, Nvidia GeForce NOW, Facebook, and more. In fact, even something as mundane as streaming footage from our security cameras at home means uploading data to digital clouds.

So, as these platforms and devices become more entrenched in our day-to-day lives and we upload more of such “content”, we inevitably become “content creators”.

Again, that is why it’s important to ensure our home broadbands can manage uploading as effectively as downloading. Having the XGS-PON network architecture (and by extension, UltraSpeed) in place covers all of these bases while still providing you with the core utilities expected of a home broadband. Among other benefits, this means zero lag-related frustrations – so say goodbye to frozen video calls, buffering screens and disrupted streams.

Find out more about our UltraSpeed Broadband and the Optical Network Router.