Integrated Services Digital Network

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Evolution of ISDN (1)
Integration
- Integration of telegraph/telex and voice
integration of fax and voice

- ISDN objective: integrate digital voice, 64-

kbps data, telex, fax, slow-scan video

- Broadband ISDN (BISDN): all of the above

plus video, multimedia, …

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Evolution of ISDN (2)

Channel

-Before ISDN, digital network based on PCM:

64-kbps voice channel

-In-channel signaling and framing corrupted

the 64-kbps channel, so integration of data
required a drop-back to 56-kbps

-ISDN : local interface to a "digital pipe" enables

higher data rates

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Principles of ISDN

Support of voice and non-voice applications in

the same network
- interfaces and data transmission facilities
standardized by ITU-T

Switched and non-switched connections

- packet & circuit switching, leased lines

64-kbps channel
- chosen because at the time was the standard
rate for digitized voice

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ISDN Conceptual View

PBX

Packet-switched Net

Customer ISDN
ISDN Central
Interface Office Other Networks
Local Loop

Circuit-switched Net

LAN Digital Pipes

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 Benefits of ISDN

Carries a variety of user traffic, such as digital video, data,

and telephone network services, using the normal phone
circuit-switched network
Offers much faster call setup than modems by using
out-of-band signaling (D channel) Often less than one
second
Provides a faster data transfer rate than modems by using
the 64-kbps bearer channel (B channel) Can combine
multiple B channels to achive higher bandwidth

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ISDN Interfaces

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ISDN reference points

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 ISDN Devices
□ Terminal Adapter (TA) - Converter device that converts standard
electrical signals into the form used by ISDN - allows non-ISDN
devices to operate on an ISDN network.
□ Terminal Equipment Type 1 (TE1) - Compatible with the ISDN
network. Example:Telephones, personal computers, fax machine
or videoconferencing machine.
□ Terminal Equipment Type 2 (TE2) - Not compatible with the ISDN
network. Example: Analog phone or modem, requires a TA (TE2
connects to TA).
□ Network termination type 1 & 2 (NT1 and NT2) - A small
connection box that physically connects the customer site to the
telco local loop, provides a four-wire connection to the customer
site and a two-wire connection to the network.
Contd..

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 ISDN Interfaces

To connect devices that perform specific functions, the interface

between the two devices needs to be well defined.
□R – References the connection between a non-ISDN
compatible device Terminal Equipment type 2 (TE2) and a
Terminal Adapter (TA), for example an RS-232 serial
interface.
□S – References the points that connect into the customer
switching device Network Termination type 2 (NT2) and enables
calls between the various types of customer premises
equipment.
□T – Electrically identical to the S interface, it references the
outbound connection from the NT2 to the ISDN network or
Network Termination type 1 (NT1).
□U – References the connection between the NT1 and the ISDN
network owned by the telephone company.

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ISDN Architecture (1)

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ISDN Architecture (2)

□ Circuit-switched capabilities : 64-kbps

□ Non-switched capabilities : 64 kbps dedicated link,
higher data rate provided by BISDN
□ Switched capabilities : > 64 kbps switched connections
using ATM as part of BISDN
□ Packet-switching capabilities : as provided by other
data networks
□ Frame-mode capabilities : supporting frame relay
□ Common-channel signaling capabilities : used to
control the network and provide call management.
Internal to the network, SS7 is used.

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ISDN Channels (1)

Standard bit rates:

- B-channel : 64 kbps
- D-channel : 16 or 64 kbps
- H-channel : 384 (H0), 1536 (H11), 1920 (H12) kbps

B-channel is the basic user channel

- can carry digital data, PCM-encoded digital voice,

or a mixture of lower-rate traffic

- with mixed traffic, all traffic must be destined for

the same end-point (carried over the same circuit)

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ISDN Channels (2)

B-channel (continued)
- supports circuit-switched, packet-switched (exchange of
data via X.25) and semipermanent connections
- in the case of circuit-switched connections, common-
channel signaling is used

• D-channel is dual-purpose
- carries signaling information to control circuit- switched
calls on B-channel
- may be used to carry low-speed data applications
(e.g., videotex, telemetry)

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ISDN Channels (3)

H-channel is a high-speed channel

- can be used as a single trunk or subdivided by the
user

- fast fax, video, high-speed data, high-quality audio

and multiplexed information streams at lower data
rates

These channel types are grouped into transmission

structures that are offered as a package to the user

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ISDN and the OSI Reference Model
□ Physical layer ISDN protocols
■ BRI (ITU-T I.430) / PRI (ITU-T I.431)
□ Defines two ISDN physical layer frame formats
■ Inbound (local exchange to ISDN customer)
■ Outbound (ISDN customer to local exchange )
□ Data link layer ISDN protocols
■ LAPD signaling protocol (ITU-T Q.920 for BRI and Q.921 for
PRI) for transmitting control and signaling information over the
D channel
□ LAPD frame format similar to ISO HDLC frame format
□ Network layer ISDN protocols
■ ITU-T I.930 and ITU-T Q.931 defines switching and signaling
methods using the D channel.
ISDN and the OSI Reference Model

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Transmission Structures (2)

ISDN is widely available in two flavors:

■ BRI: Basic Rate Interface
□ 2 64 Kbps Bearer Channels,16 Kbps Delta
Channel (for control information), 48 Kbps for
framing and synchronization
□ 2B + 1D (2B+D)
□ 192 Kbps = 128+16+48
■ PRI: Primary Rate Interface
□ 23B + 1D (T1), the D channel is 64-kbps
□ 30B + 1D (E1), European E1
□ 1.544 Mbps (North America) or 2.048 Mbps (E1)

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ISDN BRI

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ISDN BRI & PRI

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ISDN Data
Link Layer

□ The LAPD flag and control fields are identical to those of HDLC.
□ The LAPD address field is 2 bytes long.
□ Service access point identifier (SAPI), which identifies the
portal at which LAPD services are provided to Layer 3.
□ The command/response bit (C/R), indicates whether the frame
contains a command or a response.
□ The second byte contains the terminal endpoint identifier (TEI).
■ Each piece of terminal equipment on the customer premises
needs a unique identifier.
■ The TEI may be statically assigned at installation, or the switch
may dynamically assign it when the equipment is started up.
■ Statically assigned TEIs range from 0 to 63.
■ Dynamically assigned TEIs range from 64 to 126.
■ A TEI of 127, or all 1s, indicates a broadcast.
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ISDN Network Layer

□ Two Layer 3 specifications are used for

ISDN signaling:
■ ITU-T I.450 (also known as ITU-T Q.930)
■ ITU-T I.451 (also known as ITU-T Q.931)
■ Together, these protocols support:
□ User-to-user circuit-switched connections
□ User-to-user packet-switched connections
□ A variety of standards for:
■ Call establishment
■ Call termination

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 Call Setup
•Not an end-to-end
function but processed by
the switch.
•Depending upon the
switch type, you may or
may not get all of the
steps shown

□ To establish an ISDN call, the D channel is used between the

router and the ISDN switch to control functions such as call
setup, signaling, and termination.
□ Signal System 7 (SS7) signaling is used between the
switches within the service provider network.
□ These functions are implemented in the Q.931 protocol.
□ The Q.931 standard recommends a network layer connection
between the terminal endpoint and the local ISDN switch,
but it does not impose an end-to-end recommendation.
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Cisco Interfaces

□ In the United States, the

customer is required to
provide the NT1.
□ In Europe and various
other countries, the
telephone company
provides the NT1
function and presents an
S/T interface to the
customer.
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BRI S/T Interface – Cisco 2503

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ISDN Services
□ Bearer Services Three types of bearer services are
available for a call. They include speech, 3.1 kHz
audio (for modem data), and 64 kbps digital data.
□ Bearer services are specified by the calling user in the
call setup message and are transferred over the
network to the called user. The exchanges within the
network also use this information when selecting the
appropriate outgoing trunk. In the case of speech,
exchanges can use analog or digital trunks for
interconnection, whereas 64 kbps digital data requires
digital trunks.

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 Contd..

□ Teleservice: This service enables the calling user to

specify the type of data service for 3.1 kHz audio
and 64 kbps digital data. The teleservice
information (fax, telex, and so on) is transmitted
transparently across the network to the called
user. The called user processes the information to
select the appropriate terminal equipment (TE)
function to terminate the incoming call.

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Contd..

□ Supplementary Services: The ISDN service offering

also provides many supplementary services. These
services also are typically found on PBXs and virtual
private voice networks. The following are examples
of supplementary services:
□ calling line identification (caller ID),
□ closed users groups,
□ call waiting,
□ user-to-user signaling,
□ advice of charge,
□ call forward, and
□ call hold.

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