Broadband Access Networks

Cable Modem DSL

Customer Cable HFC Telephone xDSL Customer
Network Modem Network Loop Modem Network

Cable Central
Modem Office
Head End Equipment

SDH / SONET
WAN

Router/
ATM Switch Satellite Communication
and/or Telephone Loop

Wireless
OC-n / Wireless
Business Router/ Customer
STS-n & Telephone
Customers ATM Switch Network
Link Loop

Figure 10.1 Broadband Access Networks

• Three categories of customer base:
• Corporate or enterprise
• Service providers
• Residence or SOHO

• Five types of access networks

• OC-n / STS-n link
• Gateway to service providers (not shown)
• HFC / Cable modem
• DSL
• Wireless
• Fixed wireless
• Satellite communication
 Broadband Access

• Highspeed connection to the Internet

– Greater than 128Kbps
– Always on!
– Simultaneous up-Link and down-link communication
– Overcomes Internet frustrations
– Made possible by digital modems

• Leading broadband access technologies

– xDSL, cable, satellite, ISDN digital modems
 Access Technologies
Broadband
Access
Technology

HFC Satellite
xDSL Wireless
Communication

Telephony- Two- Telephony- Two-

ADSL HDSL VDSL ISM MMDS LMDS
Return Way Return Way

One- Two-
Way Way

Figure 10.2 Broadband Access Technologies

• xDSL: Digital subscriber line technology
• Asymmetric DSL (ADSL)
• High-speed DSL (HDSL)
• Very-high speed DSL (VDSL)
• Uses existing local loop telephone facilities
 xDSL Introduction

• xDSL is the term for the Broadband Access technologies based on

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology
– “x” signifies that there are various flavors of DSL

• Provides always-on, high-speed data services over existing copper

wires to residences & businesses
– POTS service and DSL coexist on same copper line

• Lower rate xDSL (up to 1.5 Mbps) is gaining popularity in the

residential market; will get faster and cheaper

• High performance xDSL (up to 52 Mbps) targets business and high-

end users
 Benefits & Applications
Benefits
• High-speed data service–DSL typically >10x faster than 56-kbps
analog modem
• Always on connection–No need to “dial-up”
• Uses existing copper wires–Co-exists w/ POTS service
• Reasonably priced today and getting cheaper
Applications
• High speed Internet access
• SOHO
• Multimedia, Long distance learning, gaming
• Video on Demand
• VPN
• VoDSL
 Digital Subscriber Line – DSL
• DSL technology provides high-speed, broadband network
connections to homes and small businesses.
• DSL utilizes the same cabling used for normal
telephones, but it can offer higher data rates through
use of the digital modem technology.
• DSL modems comprise the heart of this technology and
the lines themselves are actually just plain telephone
lines.
• It's possible for DSL subscribers to share the same line
for their digital and analog traffic  play web + receive a
call.
 DSL Technology
• Speed
– DSL offers more than 100 times the network
performance of a traditional analog modem.
– the precise speed of a connection depends on the
variety of xDSL deployed.
– DSL is a distance-sensitive technology.
• DSL works on the unused (high) frequencies of the telephone
line.
• DSL modems contain an internal signal splitter that carries
voice signals on the usual low frequencies (from 0 up to 4kHz)
and data signals above that.
• This splitter, consequently, allows simultaneous access to the
line by the telephone and the computer.
 DSL Technology
• Access
– DSL service remains "on" all of the time.
– People should be aware that long-lived
connections like DSL can have security issues 
firewall.
• Availability
– The technology used to implement DSL only works
over a limited physical distance. At the maximum,
DSL runs about 18,000 feet (3.5 miles or 5.5
kilometers) from a telephone exchange.
 DSL Technology
• Availability (cont.)

– To be eligible for DSL service, the phone

line involved must be "qualified."
– the home or business must lie within the
distance limitations of DSL (18,000 feet).
– This phone line must also possess
sufficient electrical quality characteristics.
DSL availability of bandwidth
• The actual network bandwidth a
customer will receive from DSL in the
home depends on the span of their
telephone wiring.
• The longer the line, the less bandwidth
DSL can support.
• Likewise, its thickness (wire gauge) can
affect performance.
DSL availability of bandwidth

Cable length Bandwidth availability

(feet) (kbps)
18,000 1,544

16,000 2,048

12,000 6,312

9,000 8,448
 xDSL family tree
• The xDSL "family tree" includes two main
branches
– Symmetric DSL  services provide identical data
rates upstream and downstream.
– Asymmetric DSL provides relatively lower rates
upstream but higher rates downstream.
 xDSL family tree
• ADSL, G.Lite and RADSL
• HDSL, SDSL, and SHDSL
• VDSL (VADSL, BDSL)
• IDSL
 ADSL
• Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line was designed to provide
higher downstream data rates at the expense of upstream rates.

• ADSL is technically capable of up to 6 Mbps (roughly 6000 Kbps),

but the service customers actually receive generally performs at
2 Mbps or lower for downloads and 512 Kbps for uploads.

• Example:
– Many typical uses of the Web -- such as file downloads and
general web browsing -- benefit from greater downstream
bandwidth but require relatively little in the opposite
direction.
 History of ADSL
• 1985 - Bell Labs discovers a new way to make traditional copper
wires support new digital services - especially video-on-demand
• 1990 - Phone companies start deploying High-Speed DSL (HDSL) to
offer T1 service on copper lines without the expense of installing
repeaters - first between small exchanges. Phone companies begin
to promote HDSL for smaller and smaller companies and ADSL for
home internet access.
• 1995 - Innovative companies begin to see ADSL as a way to meet
the need for faster Internet access
• 1998 - DMT was adopted by almost all vendors following ANSI
T1.413 - issue 2
• 1999 - ITU-T produced UADSL G.992.2 (G.lite) and G.922.1 (G.full)

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 ADSL
Technology
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
 Simultaneous Connections
• Talk on the phone and surf the Internet at the
same time on the same phone line!
• You do not have to disable call waiting to
connect to the Internet.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 Lightning Fast Internet
– Full-rate ADSL has the potential to deliver data at speeds
up to 8 Megabits per second.
– G.Lite ADSL can deliver up to 1.5 Megabits per second
during downloads. This is 25 times faster than a 56K
modem, and 50 times faster than a 28.8K modem!
– Service providers will also offer slower rates (from 256
Kbps and up) at lower costs.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 Always On
• Because the information is transmitted
separately from the voice/fax calls, your Internet
connection can stay on all the time.
• No more logging on and off
• No more busy signals
• No more waiting… just open your browser and
go!

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 Dedicated Connection
• Unlike a cable modem, ADSL gives you a
dedicated line to the Internet. With cable
modems, you are using a shared line with
all the other users in your neighbourhood.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 ADSL Reliability
• One strength of phone providers is their small
number of service outages per year, something
cable companies cannot claim.
• Even if the power goes out, you will still be able
to make phone calls.
• Unlike cable modems, your connection speed will
not be affected by how much bandwidth your
neighbours use.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 ADSL Security
• The dedicated connection that ADSL uses
provides more security than cable.
• Cable modem users share bandwidth with their
neighbours. Information traveling across the
network is easier to snoop.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

ADSL Connection

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

Different types of ADSL

Full-rate ADSL
Universal ADSL (G.lite)

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 Full-rate ADSL
• Full-rate ADSL boasts data rates ranging from 1.5 to 8
Megabits per second “downstream” from the Internet to
your computer
• “Upstream” data rates from your computer to the
Internet are as high as 1 Mbps
• Potential data rates decrease with increased distance
from the phone company’s CO (central office)
• Costs for the service are more expensive than the new,
lower data rate “G.Lite” ADSL

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 G.Lite ADSL
• G.Lite ADSL is a scaled-down version that
delivers up to 1.5 Mbps downstream and 384
Kbps up
• Service providers will offer slower rates for lower
prices
• Less expensive than full-rate ADSL
• Easier to install

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 Splitter
• Full-rate ADSL requires that a device, known as
a splitter, be installed on your phone line where
it enters your home in order to separate the
voice service from the data service
• G.Lite ADSL will not usually require a splitter,
although some homes with problematic wiring or
certain types of telephones will require one.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

 Note
ADSL is an asymmetric communication technology designed for residential users; it is
not suitable for businesses.
 Note
The existing local loops can handle bandwidths up to 1.1 MHz.

9.32
 Note
ADSL is an adaptive technology.
The system uses a data rate
based on the condition of
the local loop line.

9.33
Figure 9.10 Discrete multitone technique

9.34
Figure 9.11 Bandwidth division in ADSL

9.35
Figure 9.12 ADSL modem

9.36
Figure 9.13 DSLAM

9.37
Table 9.2 Summary of DSL technologies

9.38
 G.Lite
• Universal ADSL (also known as G.Lite) is a form
of ADSL that improves on one of the
weaknesses of regular ADSL -- installation.
 ADSL & G.Lite
• Regular ADSL generally requires a technician visit to
the client site to install the splitter device that divides
the frequency spectrum for voice and data.
• G.Lite does not require that this splitter be installed,
but it does so at the expense of lower data rates.
• G.Lite supports a maximum of 1,544 kbps (384 kbps
upstream)
• Whereas regular ("full-rate") ADSL can support more
than 8,000 kbps.
 RADSL
• Rate-Adaptive DSL (RADSL), is an
implementation of ADSL that automatically
configures the modem at startup to adjust its
rate according to the quality of the phone line.
• Like G.Lite, RADSL supports a much lower
maximum date rate (1,088 kbps) than regular
ADSL.
 HDSL
• High Bit / Data-Rate DSL (HDSL) offers the
same bandwidth both upstream and
downstream.
• HDSL requires two phone lines to deliver the
basic data rate (1,544 kbps),
• It can deliver a maximum rate of 2,048 kbps
using three lines.
 SDSL
• Symmetric DSL(SDSL) improves on the older
HDSL technology by implementing the same
basic data rate (1,544 kbps) while requiring
only a single phone line.
• SDSL supports data rates up to 3,088 Kbps.
 SHDSL

• Symmetric High-Bit-Rate DSL (SHDSL)

attempts to improve on both HDSL and
SDSL by only requiring a single line and
by integrating low-level services of
interest to small businesses.
• SHDSL technology can transport data
symmetrically at data rates from 192
Kbps to 2,320 Kbps.
 VDSL
• Very High Data-Rate DSL (VDSL) originally named
VADSL ('A' for asymmetric) but later was extended to
support both symmetric and asymmetric varieties of
DSL.
• VDSL relies on fiber optic cabling.
• VDSL needs shorter cable lengths than most other
forms of DSL (maximum 4,500 feet as compared to
18,000 feet for regular ADSL), but it also achieves the
highest data rate (roughly 51,840 kbps).
 VDSL
• The bandwidth levels supported by VDSL are needed
to support certain high-end applications such as
High-Definition Television (HDTV) that requires, for
example, up to 20,000 kbps.
• The performance of VDSL depends significantly on
the physical distance traversed by wiring: Shorter
distances mean faster networking.
 IDSL
• ISDN DSL (IDSL) implements a hybrid DSL/ISDN
solution.
• IDSL offers only limited data rates (128 kbps,
although multiple circuits may be bonded).
 DSL & Cable Modem
• Speed
– Cable modem generally wins the speed battle
over DSL.
– Cable technology can, in theory, achieve
networking speeds of approximately 30 Mbps
(using a 100 Mbps NIC)
– Most forms of DSL cannot reach 10 Mbps.
– cable modem technology delivers shared
bandwidth within the local neighborhood
– DSL delivers dedicated local bandwidth.
 DSL & Cable Modem
• Security
– At Northwestern University, Kellogg Information
Systems
– “If ease of installation is important to you, KIS
suggests a cable modem over DSL. The slightly more
secure environment offered by DSL is not enough to
justify the added cost and installation hassle."
– Many DSL and cable modem customers choose to
purchase routers to protect their internal systems.