NEXTEP Broadband White Paper

Introduction to ADSL
A primer on Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
transmission technology.

A NEXTEP Broadband White Paper

May 2001

Broadband Networks Group

 Introduction to ADSL

OVERVIEW

Until recently, the available methods for transmitting and

receiving data at high capacity were equally high-cost. Large
companies used microwave and satellite networks to span long
distances, and rented expensive T1 and E1 lines for dedicated
telephone and data communications between facilities.
Needless to say, these technologies were out of reach for small
and medium business enterprises (SMEs).
Today, superior data capacities can be achieved at a relatively
low cost using Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
technology. Using existing telephone lines, on-site transceivers
and shared exchange multiplexers, any high-rise building, multi-
office company or campus, or Internet Service Provider (ISP) can
have dedicated high-speed broadband service.

EXTENDING THE CAPACITY OF COPPER

Modern telephone networks start at the consumer end with

twisted-pair copper cable that runs to a switching centre or
exchange, where it connects into the telephone network. The
backbone that connects these exchanges is now mainly fibre
optic cable, which provides high-capacity, high-quality
transmission.
The consumer-end copper wire was designed to carry voice or
modem signals within the frequency band of 0 Hz to 3.4 kHz at
speeds up to 56,000 bits per second (56 Kbps). This narrow-
band, low frequency enabled the wire to carry transmissions up
to 18,000 feet (5500 meters) to an exchange without attenuation
or degradation of sound quality.
Achieving higher data transmission speeds means utilising a
much broader range of frequencies, which is referred to as
broadband communications. Each range of frequencies can act as
a separate channel on the same wire, so the more frequencies you
use, the more data the wire can carry. Unfortunately, high
frequencies transmitted over copper wire lose energy or attenuate
rapidly, and encounter interference or crosstalk, so the data
distorts or doesn’t travel far enough to even reach the exchange.

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 Optical fibre is capable of far greater bandwidth and greater
transmission speeds at greater distances without attenuation,
giving it the capacity to carry much higher volumes of data than
copper wire. However, optical fibre comes at a high cost, and
extending it to each and every household and business is
prohibitively expensive, as cable operators often find in rollouts.
The question then is how to increase the capacity of copper cable
to support high-speed broadband data such as video
conferencing, multi-media, high-speed internet access and
interactive services.
The answer is ADSL.

ADSL TECHNOLOGY

ADSL is an important variation of the DSL family of

technologies. When both a modem and a POTS splitter are used,
ADSL provides both normal telephone service and high-speed
digital transmissions on an existing telephone line, as shown in
the following diagram

Customer Premises Local Exchange

Computer Twisted Pair Data

network Modem Splitter Splitter Modem Network

POTS/ Voice
ISDN Network
Switch

Figure 1 – Detailed ADSL Configuration

This allows a single existing twisted-pair copper wire to carry:

(1) normal telephone communications in the 0 to 3.4 kHz range,
(2) data upload from the consumer in the 30 kHz to 138 kHz
range, and
(3) data download to the consumer at up to 1104 kHz.
The reason ADSL succeeds where previous technology failed is
because it takes advantage of a phenomenon that was observed in
crosstalk interference of signals between copper telephone wires.
When a signal comes into an exchange, it has greater crosstalk
than the signal going out of the exchange. This is because the
copper wires are combined into large bundles as they get closer
to the exchange, and signals transmitted at the same frequency
can “leak” from one line to another. This crosstalk has little or no
effect on normal telephone communications at low frequencies,
but is one of the primary factors limiting transmissions at higher
frequencies.

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 Because there is more crosstalk on signals coming into an
exchange, ADSL minimises its impact by transmitting from the
consumer in the lower-range frequencies of 30 to 138 kHz. Since
the lower frequencies have less attenuation, the signal is still
strong when it reaches the noisy crosstalk within the exchange.
Conversely, the signal coming out of the exchange has very little
crosstalk, which means the ADSL transceiver can send data from
the exchange at high frequencies and the signal will still be
strong enough to reach the consumer at the other end.
The difference in data-carrying capacity between these frequency
ranges gives rise to the term asymmetric. Because the signal
coming from the consumer uses a narrow range of frequencies, it
has less data capacity than the broad range of high-frequency
signals coming in. This is shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Standard Telephone Symmetric Service:

56 kbps upload

56 kbps download

ADSL Asymmetric Service:

640 kbps upload

6.144 mbps download

Figure 2 - Symmetric vs. Asymmetric

Twisted Pair
Amplitude
Spectra
Normal
Telephone
Service
Upstream Channel to Network

Downstream Channel to User

| | | |
Frequency (kHz) 4 kHz 30 kHz 140 kHz 1104 kHz

Figure 3 - ADSL Frequency Spectra

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 System Configuration
At the consumer end, a remote ADSL Transceiver Unit (ATU-R)
is placed at the customer’s site and configured as needed to
support voice, data and video. If the location is a high-rise
building with multiple offices and apartments, or a campus with
various data needs, the ATU-R can be equipped with additional
functionality such as bridging, routing or multiplexing.
At the exchange end, a Digital Subscriber Line Access
Multiplexer (DSLAM) is installed. A single DSLAM can handle
and route traffic from multiple ATU-R installations, keeping the
cost low because it is shared among all service users.
The existing telecommunications network then carries the data to
the destination, such as a branch office, again going through a
DSLAM and ATU-R at the receiving end. This is depicted in
Figure 4.

Telephone Telephone

NEXTEP
Telecommunications
ATU-R DSLAM Network DSLAM ATU-R
and Splitter and Splitter
Computer Computer

Video / TV
Video / TV

Customer's Head Office Customer's Branch Office

Figure 4 - Point-to-Point ADSL Configuration

BENEFITS OF BROADBAND SERVICE

ADSL unlocks the capacity of existing copper wire infrastructure

enabling broadband service on the same line as the telephone
without interfering with the telephone signal. There is no need to
rewire offices, high-rises, campuses or dormitories because the
telephone infrastructure is already in place.
The NEXTEP Broadband service enables SMEs to download
data at speeds up to 6.144 megabits per second (Mbps) compared
to the standard modem speed of 56 Kbps, and upload data at
speeds up to 640 Kbps.
NEXTEP Broadband offers a cost-effective platform for SMEs to
build wide-area networks (WANs), provide video conference
links between offices, support high-speed email and data transfer,
as well as high-speed internet access.

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ADSL technology offers benefits that exceed any other access
technology currently available, such as ISDN and T1 / E1 lines.
Cost-effectiveness Equipment installation and usage costs are
far lower.
Speed DSL provides the fastest data transfer for
applications that require intensive
resources, such as broadcast-quality
bi-directional video conferencing.
Ease of use Internet and email access is instantaneous
with no dialing or modem connections.
The continual broadband access will
support streaming applications such as
multicasting for business and education.
Reliability NEXTEP Broadband is a division of NEC
Australia, one of the pioneers of ADSL
technology in Australia and supplier of
ADSL equipment to Telstra.
Competitive ADSL technology is available direct from
NEXTEP at highly competitive rates.

In summary, NEXTEP Broadband ADSL services provide the

opportunity for small and medium-size businesses, TAFEs,
universities, government departments, research institutions,
providers of internet and datacasting services, high-rise
developers and bodies corporate to establish high-speed
dedicated digital networks.

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CONTRIBUTING COMPANIES

For over a year, two of Australia’s leaders in DSL technology

have worked together to perfect a cost-effective high speed
broadband service for small and medium enterprises.
The result is a new business enterprise, NEXTEP Broadband,
bringing together the expertise of NEC Australia and xDSL
Limited.
NEC Australia
NEC Australia has more than 7 years experience with broadband
deployments in Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Venezuela, Japan
and Hong Kong, and is the DSL Global Design Centre for NEC
Corporation.
NEC’s ADSL system is a standards-based, fully managed, multi-
service access platform designed for carrier and enterprise
applications. System interoperability has been tested and
confirmed with more than 20 major CPE vendors and a range of
backend server, switch and transmission equipment.
xDSL Limited
xDSL Limited was established in 1999 to explore the
commercialisation of DSL as a broadband technology in
Australia. Its major shareholders include ASX-listed Sirocco
Resources N.L., the RMB Ventures group and AIB investments.
xDSL has a 26.7% interest in VOD Pty Limited, a joint venture
with the Sirocco group and Civic Video. VOD is currently
deploying video-on-demand over the TransACT network in
Canberra.
xDSL has considerable experience in deploying content and
other broadband services in commercial environments. The
success of xDSL is due in large measure to its highly focused and
skilled team assembled from a broad mix of backgrounds and
disciplines.

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“Introduction to ADSL” Rev 1.2
Written by Michael C. Bouy for NEXTEP Broadband
Copyright  May 2001 by NEXTEP Broadband and
NEC Australia Pty Ltd
All rights reserved. Printed in Australia

This document is printed for informational purposes only and

the information herein is subject to change without notice.

This document is written for installations where all items are

supplied by NEXTEP Broadband and the system integration
has been completed by NEXTEP Broadband personnel.
NEXTEP Broadband is not responsible for overall system
performance, thermal characteristics, EMC and safety issues
where the customer uses third party equipment and the
system integration has been completed by parties other than
NEXTEP Broadband.

649-655 Springvale Road

Mulgrave, Victoria 3170 Australia

Phone: (03) 9271 4240

Fax: (03) 9271 4249