DSL Dominates Broadband Worldwide

In addition to Ethernet or a USB port to a PC, the 3000 offers home-networking capability (e.g., 802.11g wireless). Some units also feature VoIP ports and interfaces for MoCA or HPNAv3 home-networking systems. Furthermore, 2Wire's iNID 3800 gateway targets outside installation. The company's gateways are widely used in AT&T/Yahoo systems throughout the U.S.

A recent amendment to the ITU 993.2 VDSL2 standard caught the attention of new company Aktino. The change enhances VDSL2's functionality by giving it newly defined flexible band plans. These will allow the modem to be configured for either asymmetric or symmetric rate services.

Michail Tsatsanis, chief scientist at Aktino, says that this revision positions VDSL2 as the optimal means for converging both residential- and business-access networks equipment into unified platforms. In turn, this change can greatly simplify the CO side of the system and generate sizable savings.

Aktino builds carrier-end networking equipment that implements the recent amendment. The company also has developed a system that applies wireless MIMO processing techniques to DMT. The primary performance barrier, other than loop distance, is crosstalk.

Both near-end crosstalk (NEXT) and far-end crosstalk (FEXT) on twisted pairs limit range and speed. If access is available to multiple pairs in a cable, the MIMO multichannel processing techniques can substantially improve all aspects of performance. The AK3000, AK4000, and AK5000 series of CO and remote platforms implement this extended VSDL2 system with MIMO.

Finally, ZyXEL's VOP1248G targets the company's widely used IES5000 DSLAM (Fig. 5). This POTS/VoIP line card eases the carrier's transition to VoIP networks by eliminating the need to install special VoIP phones or an analog telephone adapter (ATA) on customer premises. The card's media gateway converts analog voice to VoIP, so service providers can offer next-generation voice services while saving costs. The IES5000 DSLAM is a multiservice access platform with a nonblocking Ethernet backplane that supports ADSL2+, G.SHDSL, and VDSL2.

For more, see "Check Your Broadband Speed".