DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LINE

DSL
BLOCK
DIAGRAM

What is DSL?
Digital Subscriber Line.
New modem technology.
Data transmission is based on digital encoding (digital).
Uses phone line so for the customer wiring (subscribers
line).
Use digital coding techniques to provide more capacity.
Allows high-speed Internet access over existing twistedpair and ordinary copper telephone wires.

What is DSL?
Provides "always-on" connection.
To transport high-bandwidth data.
A special hardware attached to both the user and switch
ends of line.

Advantages of DSL

High-speed.

Secure connection.

No dial-up, waiting or dropped connections.

It's always on connection.

Saves both money and time.

Provides large file transfers.

Multiple workers on a network can connect to a single

DSL.

Short history of ADSL

1985
-1990
--

1995
-1998
--

Bell Labs discovers a new way to make traditional copper

wires support new digital services - especially video-ondemand (VOD)
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
1993 evaluation of three major technologies for ADSL:
QAM, DMT and CAP
Innovative companies begin to see ADSL as a way to meet
the need for faster Internet access
DMT was adopted by almost all vendors following ANSI T1.413 issue 2 (in contrast to CAP)
ITU-T produced UADSL G.992.2 ([Link]) and G.922.1 ([Link])

Asymmetrical DSL (ADSL)

ADSL divides up the available frequencies
in a line on the assumption that most
Internet users look at, or download, much
more information than they send, or
upload.
Under this assumption, if the connection
speed from the Internet to the user is three
to four times faster than the connection
from the user back to the Internet, then the
user will see the most benefit (most of the
time).

Asymmetrical DSL (ADSL)

ADSL is an adaptive technology.
The system uses a data rate based on the
condition of the local loop line.
Speed: Most existing local loops can
handle bandwidths up to 1.1 MHz.
ADSL is an asymmetric communication
technology designed for residential users;
it is not suitable for businesses.

What is ADSL?
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.
Is a form of DSL.
A high-speed Internet access service.
Speed depends on the length and the diameter of the
cable and the type of the mode
Requires a special ADSL modem and an Internet
service provider (ISP) .

What is ADSL?
It is asymmetric since the data coming to your computer
from the Internet (download) is faster than the data
traveling from your computer to the Internet (upload).
Uses standard telephone lines.
Telephone can be used normally, even when surfing in
the Web with ADSL service.
An "always on" service.
Not available to everyone.

How does ADSL work?

ADSL Splitter separates the analogue voice (phone)
traffic from data (adsl) traffic.
ADSL Modem converts digital signals from your PC into
analog signals that can be transmitted over telephone
cable in the local loop.
Local Loop is the path your telephone line will take from
your house to the local exchange.
Service Provider.
The cable consists of a "copper pair" .

How does ADSL work?

How does ADSL work?

How does ADSL work?

DSLAM - DSL Access Multiplexer

BRAS Broadband Remote Access Server
ISP - Internet Service Provider

How does ADSL work?

BRAS routes traffic to and from
the digital subscriber line access
multiplexers (DSLAM) on an
Internet service providers (ISP)
network.
A single BRAS will probably
handle connections from several
DSLAMs.

How does ADSL work?

ADVANTAGES of ADSL
Quick connection.
Fast.
Use phone connection when connected to the internet.
No need for second phone line.
No dropped connections.
Always on connection.
Ability to download large files.
Save time.
Cost efficiency.

Motivation for developing ADSL

Need for high-speed Internet access - also telephone
modem speeds have peaked and cable modems have
turned out
DSL means methods to transmit high speed data to local
loop by using unshielded 2-wire twisted pairs
DSL allows rates varying from 160 kb/s up 50 Mb/s on
down link (DL) depending on technology used!
In the most popular commercial ADSL 512 kbit/s
upstream and 2048 kb/s downstream
Different operation modes developed to serve symmetric
and asymmetric traffic requirements and different rates
(STM and ATM supported by ADSL)

ADSL Modem

What does modem mean?

The word "modem" comes from

"modulator-demodulator

Modulation: digital information to

analog signals

Demodulation: analog signals back

into useful digital information

Settled device for computers.

Allows 2 computers to communicate

over standard phone lines.

They have many different shapes

and sizes to correspond all kind of
needs.

Conversion of Digital Information

to Analog Information

Modem parts

Analog parts
analog transmit and receiver filters
DAC, automatic gain control, ADC
Digital parts
modulation/demodulation
coding/decoding
Reed-Solomon
Trellis
bit packing/unpacking (compressed
transmission)
framing
scrambling

Modem technology

Conventional modem modules

Constellation mapping
Interleaving (convolutional)
Symbol/bit conversion
Timing recovery
Advanced techniques for DSL
Carrierless AM/PM (CAP) or QAM line codes (97% of USA installations
apply this method)
Fast Fourier Transforms for Discrete Multi-Tone Modulation (DMT) - the
dominant method
tone ordering -> peak-to-average ratio (PAPR) decrease
channel equalization
water pouring bit allocations
guard intervals
Turbo - coding
Adaptive echo canceller

SETUP PROPERTIES of ADSL

Physical connections.
Modem synchronization.
Computer network
configurations.
Modem Configuration.
Ip Control.
Connection Control

DSL and Cable Pros and Cons

DSL

Cable Modem

Pros

Cons

Pros

Always on.
Far faster than 56kbps dial-up
modem.
Better security
than cable.

Setup can be
difficult.
Performance
depends on
location.
For business
users, higher
speeds get pricey.

More widespread
than DSL.
Potentially faster
than DSL.
Price break if you
get cable TV
service, too.

Cons
Less secure than
DSL.
Line shared with
others in
neighborhood;
speeds vary
accordingly.

Two standards for ADSL

1. Discrete multitone (DMT)
2. Carrierless amplitude/phase
(CAP)

CAP - three distinct bands:

1. Voice channel - 0 to 4 KHz
2. Upstream channel - 25 and 160 KHz
3. Downstream channel - 1.5 MHz

Carrierless amplitude/phase (CAP)

Advantage:

Minimizes the possibility of

interference between the channels on
one line, or between the signals on
different lines

Discrete multitone (DMT)

Constantly shifts signals between

different channels, searching for the best
channels for transmission and reception

Discrete multitone (DMT)

Multi-tone modulation (cont.)

In channel activation phase different sub-channels are allocated for
their optimum rates (by changing number of levels in modulation)
DMT-ADSL supports both synchronous transfer mode (STM) and
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM, AS0 used for primary cell
stream)
DMT defines two data paths: fast and interleaved
Fast
low latency (2ms)
real-time traffic
Interleaved
low error rate
Reed-Solomon encoding (convolutional codes) at the expense of
increased latency

ADSL is based on OFDM/DMT

Binary input
Error
correctio
n coding

Channel estimation
Interleavin
g

OFDM Transmitter

Modulation
(QAM)

Pilot
insertio
n

Serial to
Parallel

Adaptation to burst errors

IFFT

Paralle
l to
serial

Adding
Guard
interval

Pulse
shaping

D/A

RF
Tx

DMT modulation

OFDM Receiver
FFT

Multipath & BW adaptation

Serial to
Parallel

Binary Output
Error
correctio
n coding

Interleavin
g

Demodulation
(QAM)

Channel
Estimatio
n

Paralle
l to
serial

Deleting
Guard
interval

Filter
A/D

Time and
frequency
Synchronisatio
n

RF Rx

Discrete multi-tone (DMT)

modulation

ANSI T1.413 specifies DMT modem for ASDL applications

Downstream:
2.208 MHz sampling rate, 256 tones 0 1.104 MHz
Symbol rate 4000 symbols /s. Each sub-channel is 4.3 kHz wide
max rate 32 kb/s per channel (compare to V.90 modem)
Upstream:
275 kHz sampling rate, 32 tones 0 138 kHz

ASx: high-speed,downstream
simplex nx1.54Mb/s
LSx: low-speed, duplex
channels 160576 kb/s
crc: cyclic redundancy check
FEC f,i: (fast,interleaved):
forward error correction
scram f,i: scrambling
ATU-C: ADSL transmitter unit central office
V-C interface

ATU-C
transmitter

DMT spectra / ISDN linecodes

If no ISDN

upstream

If 2B1Q ISDN

downstream

upstream

If 4B3T ISDN

upstream

2B1Q ISDN
4B3T ISDN

50
120 kHz

POTS

10 20
80 kHz

1104 kHz

downstream

276 kHz

138 kHz

25 kHz
carrier

downstream

100

150

200

Pilot
Sub-carrier spacing is 4.3125 kHz - 256 total sub-carriers
Sub-carrier
Frequency
Meaning
0
0 Hz
DC-not used for data
5
25 kHz lower limit for upstream data
18
80 kHz Approx limit for 2B1Q ISDN
28
120 kHz
Approx. Limit for 4B3T ISDN
32
138 kHz
upper limit for upstream data
64
276 kHz
Pilot - not used for data
256
1104 kHz
Nyqvist - not used for data

250

Distance Limitations
ADSL is a distance-sensitive technology
The limit for ADSL service is 18,000 feet (5,460
meters)
At the extremes of the distance limits, ADSL
customers may see speeds far below the
promised maximums
customers nearer the central office have faster
connections and may see extremely high
speeds

Upstream/Downstream Bands and

Frequency
ADSL Communication is Full Duplex.
Full duplex ADSL communication is usually providing
with a wire pair by either frequency division multiplex
(FDM).
FDM uses two separate frequency bands, these are
the upstream and downstream bands.

Upstream/Downstream Bands and

Frequency
Downstream data.
Upstream data.
ADSL transmit upstream and downstream data on a
digital frequency

Upstream/Downstream Bands and

Frequency

PSTN
(Plain Old
Telephone
Service )

UPSTREAM

DOWNSTREAM

Frequency plan for ADSL. The red area is the frequency range
used by normal voice telephony (PSTN), the green (upstream)
and blue (downstream) areas are used for ADSL.

BANWIDTH NOTATION
Monthly quota of data.
Upload/download.
Monthly bandwidth allowance will be measured in
Megabytes or Gigabytes.
The amount of bandwidth you need depends on how
frequently use the internet.

Question!
Distance is a limitation for DSL, why it's
not also a limitation for voice telephone
calls ?

Answer!
The answer lies in small amplifiers called
loading coils that the telephone company
uses to boost voice signals
these loading coils are incompatible with
ADSL signals, so a voice coil in the loop
between your telephone and the
telephone company's central office will
disqualify you from receiving ADSL.

ADSL :
customer disqualifying factors
Bridge taps - These are extensions, between you and the
central office, that extend service to other customers. While
you wouldn't notice these bridge taps in normal phone
service, they may take the total length of the circuit beyond
the distance limits of the service provider.
Fiber-optic cables - ADSL signals can't pass through the
conversion from analog to digital and back to analog that
occurs if a portion of your telephone circuit comes through
fiber-optic cables.
Distance - Even if you know where your central office is
(don't be surprised if you don't -- the telephone companies
don't advertise their locations), looking at a map is no
indication of the distance a signal must travel between your
house and the office.

Generic DSL reference model

CO

CP
repeater

Switch or
multiplexer

ADSL

LT

MDF

NID
repeater

NT

TE

Local loop

ATU-R

ATU-C

CO: Central office

CP: Customers premises - local loop connects to switch (CO)
TE: Terminal equipment - PC or telephone
NT: Network terminal - DSL modem at CP
NID: Network interface device - all customers installation reside right from this
point and telephone company's to the left in the diagram
MDF: Main distribution frame - wire cross-connection field connects all
loops to CO
LT: Line termination eg DSL modem
repeater: signal regeneration for transmission introduced impairments
local loop: in ADSL 2-wire connection between CO and CP

ADSL and ADSL-lite

reference model
POTS phones

ADSL and ADSLlite

have the major
difference
in the missing
FDM splitter
This causes lower
rates for ADSL-lite
but makes it
cheaper
to install

POTS phones

History of digital access in

PSTN

The first DSL technique

Through analog voice:

Connecting a voice-band
modem (as V.90)
No switch or network
infra changes

Through ISDN switch:

Yields basic rate access (BRI)
fixed throughput 2B+D

Digital access in PSTN (cont.)

Using POTS
splitters

Digital/analog switch

Requires new in-house wiring here

POTS FDM splitters separate voice and DSL channels

Next generation intelligent switch recognizes subscriber devices and adjusts its HW
parameters (PSTN telephone, voice-band modem, DSL modem)

Using digital
switch

DSL access multiplexer

(DSLAM)

DSLAM provides access to

LANs, WANs and other
services
DSLAM consists of
subscriber links (ATU-R
to ATU-C)
connections to other
DSL/broadband-circuits
interfaces to ISDN
exchange

Using
DSLAM

Using
ADSL

What is specified in ADSL standard?

ANSI T1.413 ADSL reference model:
T/S not defined by T1.413

Cross connections

PC

SM: service module

In T1.413 the V-C and T-R interfaces

are defined only in terms of their
functions but they are not technically
specified

Standard specifies interfaces and units as for example

ATU-R: ADSL transceiver unit - remote terminal
ATU-C: ADSL transceiver unit - central office terminal
U-C (2), U-R (2)

units
interfaces

ADSL challenge:
bad quality local loop cables

Attenuation
Crosstalk
Near-end crosstalk (NEXT) appears when same frequency band used
for UL and DL - between A-A
Far-end crosstalk (FEXT) appears in the link A-B
Interference: other lines, overlapping RF-spectra
Bridged taps, loading coils
Weather-conditions (moisture, temperature) affect crosstalk and line
impedance

Modeling the loop cable

Cable attenuation

DSL Data rates vrs distance

Practice ->

Distance
km
0.7
0.9
1.2
1.8
2.3
3.5

Line rate
Mb/s
asymm
50
30
25
15
10
3

Line rate
Mb/s
symm
22
13
10
6
2
1

0.4 mm (26 AG) twisted pair

Capacity Cn of 100 m cables with W = 30 MHz

# Interferers
Cable
Category 3
Category 4
Category 5

One interferer
Cn
136 Mb/s
323 Mb/s
386 Mb/s

24 interferer
Cn
79 Mb/s
253 Mb/s
316 Mb/s

<-Theory

ADSL meets local loop challenges

Restricted bandwidth
careful allocation of bits for each sub-carrier
Changing circumstances (whether, bridged taps)
Adaptive setup phase
High attenuation
Usage of relatively high bandwidth for transmission
Compatibility to old POTS
Own band for POTS by splitters
Interference and cross-talk
Coding
Interleaving
Note: loading coils must
Modulation (OFDM/DMT)
be removed from cables
Echo cancellation
in order to ADSL to work

Reference: A baseband system

ADSL frames

super frame boundary

identification

68 DMT data symbols, ->

symbol rate ~4000/sec

- bearer channel allocation

during initial setup
determines ratio of
interleaved and fast
data frames (Nf,Ns)
- 8 crc bits (crc0-7) supervise
fast data transmission
- 24 indicator bits (ib0-ib23)
assigned for OAM functions

see next slide

Fast sync - byte

crc: cyclic redundancy check

eoc: embedded operations channel (O & M of ATU-C and ATU-R)
ib: indicator bits (O & M)

ATU-C transmitter reference

model for STM* transport

Indicator bits

Asx: any one of the simplex bearer channels AS0, AS1, AS2 or AS3
LSx: any one of the duplex bearer channels LS0, LS1 or LS2
NTR: Network Timing Reference: 8 kHz reference transmitted downstream
aoc: ADSL overhead control channel
eoc: embedded operations channel

*Synchronous transfer mode

 ADSL uses Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) to

separate frequency bands, referred to as the upstream
and downstream bands. The upstream band is used for
communication from the end user to the telephone
central office. The downstream band is used for
communicating from the central office to the end user.
With standard ADSL (annex A), the band from 25.875
kHz to 138 kHz is used for upstream communication,
while 138 kHz 1104 kHz is used for downstream
communication. The next two figures shows a block
diagram of how FMD is done, then a plot to show the
frequency bands for each stream

 CRC is Cable Read check. A high number

means that there are some small cable
breaks somewhere along your line to the
exchange.

 A scrambler is a device that transposes or inverts

signals or otherwise encodes a message at the
transmitter to make the message unintelligible at a
receiver not equipped with an appropriately set
descrambling device. Whereas encryption usually refers
to operations carried out in the digital domain, scrambling
usually refers to operations carried out in the analog
domain. Scrambling is accomplished by the addition of
components to the original signal or the changing of
some important component of the original signal in order
to make extraction of the original signal difficult.

 FEC Encoder/Interleaver
The interleave buffer convolutionally
interleaves the Reed-Solomon codewords.
The depth of the interleaving varies, but it
is consistently a power of 2. The FEC
coding can reliably correct occasional
errors if the data is interleaved.

 Interleaving increases stability and throughput

on higher-speed ADSL services. It rearranges
data during transmission to make successful
transmission more likely. This is particularly
effective in the presence of "bursty" noise.
Interleaving can mean faster downloads at the
expense of slightly higher latency. If you're a
dedicated online gamer, you may prefer to
turn interleaving off to reduce latency.

 Prior to the actual constellation encoding, a bit extraction algorithm

extracts bits from the data frame buffer according to the ordered
bits and gains table. A bit conversion algorithm is also
implemented for the purpose of trellis coding, if trellis coding is
enabled (the use of trellis coding is optional and effects both the
tone ordering algorithm and the constellation encoding algorithm).
ANSI T1.413-1998 contains specific information regarding trellis
coding. For each sub-carrier, the constellation encoder selects a
point (in the complex plane) from a grid of points based on the
binary data assigned to that sub-carrier. Constellation encoding
converts binary data into a complex number. Gain scaling, as per
the bits and gains table, is applied to all data carrying sub-carriers
- each complex point is multiplied by a gain in the range of
approximately 0.75 to 1.33; i.e. Zi = gi * (Xi + jYi). It should be noted
that gain scaling is not used during transmission of the
synchronization symbol.

OTHER TYPES OF DSL:

Symmetric DSL (SDSL)
High-bit-rate DSL (HDSL)
Very high bit-rate DSL (VDSL)

Symmetric DSL (SDSL)

Used mainly by small businesses &
residential areas
Bit rate of downstream is higher than
upstream

High-bit-rate DSL (HDSL)

Used as alternative of T-1 line
Uses 2B1Q encoding
Less susceptible to attenuation at higher
frequencies
Unlike T-1 line (AMI/1.544Mbps/1km), it
can reach 2Mbps @ 3.6Km

 High-Bit-Rate Digital Subscriber Line

(HDSL)
This is one of the earliest forms of DSL
where data rates of 1.544 or 2.048 Mbits/s
are transmitted in both directions, meaning
that it is symmetrical. HDSL uses
two wire pairs, one serving in each direction.

Very high bit-rate DSL (VDSL)

Uses DMT modulation technique
Effective only for short distances(3001800m)
Speed:
downstream : 50 - 55 Mbps
upstream : 1.5-2.5 Mbps

VDSL
Very high bit-rate Digital Line Subscriber.
Next generation DSL.
Entire home-entertainment package .
Very high bandwidth.
Shorter distance, faster connection.
Coding based on Discrete Multitone (DMT) and
Quadature Amplitude Modulation (QAM).
Is not literally deployed yet

RADSL start-up phases

RADSL (rate adaptive DSL) modems apply sophisticated hand
shaking to initiate transmissions that include
Activation: notice the need for communications
Gain setting/control: Adjust the power for optimum
transmission and minimum emission
Synchronization: Clocks and frames to the same phases
Echo cancellation
Channel identification and equalization.
In DMT modulation during the handshaking active channels are
decided and bit rates assigned for them

 Rate-Adaptive DSL (RADSL)

RADSL is a proprietary approach to high-rate DSL
developed by Westell.
In this design, software determines the data rate at
which signals can be transmitted on a given customer
wire pair, and that rate is adjustable accordingly.
Westells FlexCap2 uses RADSL to deliver from 640
kbits/s to 2.2 Mbits/s downstream and from 272 kbits/s
to 1.088 Mbits/s upstream over an existing wire-pair
line.

xDSL- systems

HDSL -- High Bit Rate DSL

1.544 Mbps (T1) or 2.048 Mbps (E1) symmetrical
channel associated signaling
2- or 4-wire connections
ADSL -- Asymmetric DSL
up to 8 Mbps downstream and 640 Kbps upstream
ATM / STM compatible
2-wire compatible
requires splitter and separate phone line from box to wall
CDSL -- Consumer DSL/ADSL-lite
ATM (Q.2931) signaling only
up to 1.555 Mbps downstream and 512 Kbps upstream
reduced options, performance, cost, easy to install

xDSL- systems (cont.)

RDSL -- Rate-Adaptive DSL
adjusts transmission rates in both directions to obtain the best speed
under prevailing conditions
otherwise like ADSL

SDSL -- Symmetric DSL

one pair of copper wire used, 774 kbps
channel associated signaling or Q.921

VDSL -- Very-High-Bit-Rate DSL

speeds up to 13- 52 Mbps DL, 1.5-2.3 Mbps UL, but for only short
distances, applies ATM

xDSL systems (cont.)

BRI ISDN (DSL)
uses existing ISDN equipment, but in 'always on' mode instead
of as a dial-up service. Yields 2B+D

up to 128 kbps + 16 kbps or X.25 with 160

kbps
signaling Q.921/Q.931
designed for speech networks

V.90
56 kbps DL, 33.6 kbps UL
signaling analog
for speech network

xDSL systems and applications

8

xDSL systems compared (cont.)

ISP
Internet Service Provider

ISP
A company.
Access to the internet.
Monthly fee.
Software package.
User name, password and access phone
number.
Modem.
Log-on.

ISP
Individuals and large companies.
Connected to one another through Network
Access Points (NAPs).
Examples:
Superonline
E-kolay.
Atlas On-Line.
Tr-Net.

ROUTING and SECURITY

ROUTING
Device.

A router allows you to connect one

or more computers or one or more
networks onto the ADSL service.

Many routers have built in

switches that allow you to plug
your computer directly into them

Sharing an Internet connection.

WIRELESS ADSL
Without any cable it provides broadband data transfer.
This service using at hotspots such as airports, hotels,
shopping centers, universities, conference halls etc.
If you have WLAN technology in your laptop, phone or
etc. You can use this service.
If you don not have this technology in your pc you can
take a card that has the wi-fi (wireless fidelity ) capability
and fix it to your pc than you can use this service.
Uses access point which is a wireless access device to
spread the adsl connections.

CABLE MODEM

CMTS: Cable Modem Termination System

CATV: Community Antenna Television or Cable TV system. Can be
all coaxial or HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coax) based.

CABLE MODEM
Provides high-speed Internet access through a cable
television network.
TV cables provide much higher bandwidth.
Upstream/downstream.
Asymmetric.
Coaxial cable line.
It can be external devices nearly computer or integrated
within a computer .

Always on connection.

ADSL vs CABLE MODEM

Speed.
Availability.
Bandwidth.
Time for getting the service.
Installation.
Service.
Cost.
Hardware requirements.
Security.

WAP/GPRS
WAP (Wireless Application Protocol ).
Allows users to access information instantly with
handheld wireless devices.
Internet content in special text format.
Low-bandwidth.
Uses WML format for small screens and one-hand
navigation without a keyboard .

GPRS
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service).
Uses existing GSM network.
Transmit and receive data from GPRS mobile devices.
Runs at speeds up to 115 kilobits per second.
Supports a wide range of bandwidths.
Efficient use of limited bandwidth.
Provides always online connection.

GPRS

Comparing modem
technologies

ADSL standards

Hierarchy of
standards

Standards
International level
Regional/national level
Multi-corporate level
Corporate level

-examples: ITU: International Telecommunications Union yields recommendations that may be adapted by companies

-examples: ANSI (American Standards Institute)

/ETSI (European Technical Standards Institute)

-examples: ADSL forum/ATM forum

-open or proprietary standard created by a company

Semiconductors &
devices:
[Link]
International/national
standardization: ITU,
ETSI, ANSI ...

See also:
[Link]

[Link]
[Link]
UAWG: Universal ADSL working group - strives to make ADSL more
commercially adaptable
SNAG: Service network architecture group