1

xDSL
xDSL
Technology and
Technology and
Applications:
Applications:
Removing the Telephone Line Bottleneck
Removing the Telephone Line Bottleneck
Krista S. Jacobsen
Texas Instruments
Broadband Access Group
jacobsen@ti.com
Texas Instruments 1999
2
Overview/Goals
u Introduction
u DSL network topology
u Transmission environment
u Line code alternatives
u ADSL
u Splitterless ADSL and G.lite
u VDSL
u Spectral compatibility
3
Acronyms
ADSL: Asymmetric digital subscriber lines
CO: Central office
DSL: Digital subscriber line(s)
HDSL: High-speed digital subscriber lines
ISDN: Integrated services digital network
ONU: Optical network unit
POTS: Plain old telephone service
SDSL: Symmetric digital subscriber lines
VDSL: Very high-speed digital subscriber lines
4
Overview of xDSL Flavors
Technology Data rates Applications
ISDN 64+ kbps symmetric Data transmission
HDSL 1.054/2.044 Mbps symmetric 2-pair repeaterless T1/E1
HDSL-2 1.054/2.044 Mbps symmetric Single-pair T1/E1
SDSL Under discussion Multiple HDSL, data transmission
ADSL Up to 8 Mbps downstream
Up to 800 kbps upstream
Internet, video, multimedia
VDSL Up to 52 Mbps downstream
Up to 26 Mbps upstream
Same as ADSL, but more of it
5
Digital Subscriber
Digital Subscriber
Lines (DSL)
Lines (DSL)
Network Topology
Network Topology
6
The Local Loop
Telephone line Central office (CO)
Plain old telephone service
(POTS)
Local loop characteristics:
n The local loop has been designed solely to support voice traffic
n The 0-4 kHz bandwidth limitations of the local loop are a result of filters placed
at the central office to help condition lines for voice traffic
n If the filters are removed, the local loop can support much higher data rates than
voice band modems provide
n Achievable data rates depend on:
w Loop length (attenuation)
w Condition of line (bridged taps, loading coils, in-home wiring, etc.)
w Noise (crosstalk, impulse noise, radio-frequency ingress)
7
Issues:
Bandwidth limited by the local loop (POTS/ISDN - 56 kbps/128 kbps)
Data traffic is congesting the voice network
Voice network designed around 3-6 minute average call
Data connections typically last over 20 minutes
POTS or ISDN
Internet
Voice Network
Circuit-Switched
Frame
Relay
T1/PRI
ISP
Access
Concentrator
Router
ATM Central Office
Data Network
Packet or Cell Switched
PSTN
Class5 Switch
Voice Band Topology
8
Issues:
Removes local loop bottleneck
Still have bandwidth limitations in the data network that must be addressed
Relieves congestion of voice network
But analyst projections still show analog modems dominating until 2000+
PSTN
WAN
DSLAM or xDSL line
card in Class5 Switch
ATM
Internet
ISP
POTS/xDSL
Class5 Switch
Central Office
ATM
Frame
Relay
Frame
Relay
Voice Network
Circuit-Switched
Data Network
Packet or Cell
Switched
DSL Topology
9
Digital Subscriber
Digital Subscriber
Lines (DSL)
Lines (DSL)
Transmission Environment
Transmission Environment
xDSL Transmission Environment
FACT:
FACT:
Telephone networks were deployed to transfer
analog voice signals, not high-speed digital
signals.
RESULT:
RESULT:
Numerous impairments impede transmission in the
frequency band beyond the voice band.
11
Environmental Variables
u Channel attenuation varies with:
n length
n gauge
n frequency
n bridged taps
u Various noises also impede high-speed transmission:
n crosstalk
n impulse noise
n radio-frequency ingress
u Channel and noise characteristics vary substantially
from line to line
12
Twisted-pair Channels
13
Bridged Taps
u Unterminated stubs of twisted-pair cable connected
in shunt to main pair
n Originally used to provide for future plant expansion
n No longer used
u Effect is notches/ripple in frequency spectrum
Central Office Customer
Bridged
Taps
14
Effects of Bridged Taps
15
Crosstalk
Binder
xDSL lines
T1 lines
POTS
Copper twisted pairs are grouped in binders
Up to 50 twisted pair per binder
Crosstalk
Caused by other pairs in the binder carrying xDSL, ISDN, T1, etc.
Pairs in adjacent binders can also cause crosstalk
Coupling (interference) increases with frequency
Tx
Rx
Rx
Tx
T1
Line
xDSL
Line
Near-end crosstalk (NEXT)
Tx
Rx
Tx
Rx
T1
Line
xDSL
Line
Far-end crosstalk (FEXT)
16
1 T1 NEXT
24 HDSL NEXT
24 ISDN NEXT
0 Hz 500 kHz 1.0 MHz 1.5 MHz
Frequency
P
o
w
e
r

D
e
n
s
i
t
y

(
d
B
m
/
H
z
)
Crosstalk Examples
17
Radio-frequency Ingress
u Occurs when over-the-air signals couple into xDSL
lines
n AM radio
n Amateur radio
18
Frequency
N
o
i
s
e

p
o
w
e
r

l
e
v
e
l
Radio-frequency Ingress
u AM interferers are localized in frequency, maintain constant
power with time
u HAM interferers are unpredictable
n on/off keying
n hopping in frequency
n may be high or low power
u Strength of interferer depends on proximity of source to line
19
Impulse Noise
u Caused by home appliances, lightning, power line
discharges, other unidentified sources
u Usually short-duration, high-power, fairly constant
with frequency
u Can be 10s of millivolts, 100s of microseconds
time
V
o
l
t
a
g
e
frequency
P
S
D
20
Frequency
Channel response
RF ingress
Crosstalk
Bridged tap
Not an environment conducive to high-speed communication... Not an environment conducive to high-speed communication...
Composite Impairment Profile
21
Digital Subscriber
Digital Subscriber
Lines (DSL)
Lines (DSL)
Line Code Alternatives
Line Code Alternatives
22
Two Linecode Classes
u Single-carrier
Spreads information content during each symbol over entire channel
bandwidth
n Examples:
w Carrierless Amplitude/Phase (CAP) Modulation
w Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)
u Multi-carrier
Divides bandwidth into subchannels, allocates only some portion of
the entire information content to each subchannel during each
symbol
n Examples:
w Discrete Multi-Tone (DMT) Modulation
w Discrete Wavelet Multi-Tone (DWMT) Modulation
u Uses an inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) to partition
transmission bandwidth into subchannels
u Measures signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each subchannel and assigns
data accordingly
n Adapts to each line at start-up and automatically avoids severely degraded
regions of bandwidth
n Maximizes bit rate
n Adapts during steady-state to maintain bit rate and noise margin
B
i
t
s

p
e
r

s
u
b
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
Frequency
Discrete Multi-Tone (DMT) Modulation
24
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
40
50
S
N
R

(
d
B
)
S
N
R

(
d
B
)
0 138 276 414 552 690 828 966 1104
Frequency (kHz) Frequency (kHz)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0 138 276 414 552 690 828 966 1104
N
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

B
i
t
s
N
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

B
i
t
s
Frequency (kHz) Frequency (kHz)
15
Bit Allocation Example
25
Conceptual View of DMT
Power spectra of individual subcarriers
Composite DMT power spectrum
f
f
26
u CAP and QAM are similar
n QAM generates in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals using sine/cosine
mixer in analog domain
n CAP generates I and Q signals in the digital domain
u CAP/QAM symbols are short-duration, occupy entire available
bandwidth
n Because the information is distributed evenly over the entire channel
bandwidth, effects of channel impairments and noise must be overcome by
transmit filters and equalizing receivers
Q
I
00
01
10
11
Frequency
CAP/QAM Modulation
US DS
27
DMT vs. CAP/QAM
Frequency
B
i
t
s
A
t
t
e
n
u
a
t
i
o
n
Frequency
Bridged
Tap
AM
Interference
x-talk
DMT dynamically adapts to the conditions of the line
CAP/QAM require highly-flexible, potentially complex filters to enable
the receiver to dig out the signal
A
t
t
e
n
u
a
t
i
o
n
Frequency
Bridged
Tap
AM
Interference
x-talk
Frequency
B
i
t
s
Bit distribution varies
based on channel and
noise characteristics
The bit distribution
cannot be varied across
the frequency band
28
Digital Subscriber
Digital Subscriber
Lines (DSL)
Lines (DSL)
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber
Lines (ADSL)
Lines (ADSL)
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ADSL Basics
u Standard-compliant ADSL uses DMT
u Supports asymmetric data rates
n Distance and line condition dependent
w Upstream data rates: up to 800 kbps
w Downstream data rates: up to 8 Mbps
n 10:1 downstream-to-upstream ratio
w Ideal for Internet traffic (TCP/IP)
w Ideal for MPEG movies
u Supports limited symmetric data rates
n Up to ~ 800 Kbps
u Co-exists with life-line POTS service
n Uses existing POTS infrastructure
8.0
D
a
t
a

R
a
t
e

(
M
b
p
s
)
1.5
18 12
Distance (k ft)
30
CO
CO
POTS POTS
(or ISDN) (or ISDN)
Switch Switch
split split
split
ATM ATM
or or
10BT/422 10BT/422
8 Mbps
800 kbps ADSL ADSL
video switch video switch
ADSL ADSL
Access Access
Mux Mux
(bridge) (bridge)
ADSL ADSL
ADSL ADSL
.
.
ADSL ADSL
internet internet
ADSL Deployment
31
Central Office
Downstream
ADSL Data Rates and Ranges
6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
M
b
i
t
s
/
s
e
c
Distance (kft)
Downstream data rate vs. distance from CO
26-gauge
24-gauge
32
ADSL Duplexing Alternatives
POTS
UP
f
DOWN
ADSL
FDM (frequency division multiplexing)
Upstream and downstream channels are disjoint in frequency
Frequency separation of the two channels is easy to implement
Echo cancellation
Upstream and downstream channels overlap in frequency
Echo canceler is used to separate channels
Better performance than FDM
Downstream channel also uses higher-quality lower-frequency portions of
the spectrum
f
POTS
DOWN
UP
ADSL
33
Digital Subscriber
Digital Subscriber
Lines (DSL)
Lines (DSL)
Splitterless
Splitterless
ADSL and G.
ADSL and G.
lite
lite
34
POTS Splitter
u A splitter is a cross-over filter that separates voiceband
signals from passband DSL signals
u Splitters ease DSL implementation and allow coexistence
of POTS and high-rate DSL on the same line
Line
Remote Splitter
POTS
Central Office
LPF
HPF
DSL
Modem
POTS
DSL
Splitter
35
Why Eliminate the Splitter?
TRUCK-ROLL = $$
Central Office
Original DSL Application: Video-on-demand
Constant bit rate service
Requires POTS splitter to satisfy service requirements over broad
range of conditions and service areas
Latest DSL Application: Internet Access
Variable-bit rate service
Allows retransmission of corrupted data
Elimination of splitter reduces costs, but also reduces data rate
slightly
36
DSL
Z
m
Phone
Z
1
or Z
2
Z
0
Central
Office
Line
ECHO
Splitterless DSL Challenge
ON-HOOK
n Impedance: Z
1
n Echo: ~Linear
OFF-HOOK
n Impedance Z
2
n Echo: Partially nonlinear
w nonlinear components in some phones
w inband AND out-of-band energy
Also have transient problems when transitioning from on-hook
to off-hook state
37
What is G.lite?
u Intended for consumer mass market
n Low cost/complexity
u Goal is easy installation
n Minimize wiring changes
n Avoid POTS splitter (splitterless)
u POTS and G.lite operate simultaneously
u Provide maximum coverage of customers
n Reach more important than data rate
u Ensure spectral compatibility with standardized
xDSL
38
Full rate (G.dmt, T1413i2) U-ADSL (G.lite, UAWG)
Optimized for data rate Optimized for cost
8 Mbps/800Kbps 1.5Mbps/512 Kbps
256 tones 128 tones
15 bits per tone 8 bits per tone
Echo Canceled (EC) FDM with EC option
Full initialization
Not included
Fast retrain
Power management
Comparison of Full-rate and G.lite
39
N
I
D
ADSL
Modem
(ATU-R)
Existing or new wiring
HPF
LPF
Splittered installation
Distributed Splitter installation
N
I
D
ADSL
Modem
(ATU-R)
Existing premises wiring
LPF LPF LPF
H
P
F
N
I
D
ADSL
Modem
(ATU-R)
Existing premises wiring
H
P
F
Splitterless installation
G.lite Customer Installation Options
40
Digital Subscriber
Digital Subscriber
Lines (DSL)
Lines (DSL)
Very High-Speed Digital
Very High-Speed Digital
Subscriber Lines (VDSL)
Subscriber Lines (VDSL)
41
Classic VDSL
u Intended for loops up to 4.5 kft (1.5 km) long
n Fiber-to-the-neighborhood
n Last mile
u Uses a much wider bandwidth than ADSL
n Appropriate bandwidth depends on loop length
n 10-12 MHz allows high bit rate transmission on a wide range of
loop lengths
n Very short loops (< 1 kft or 300 m) require even larger bandwidth
to maximize performance
u VDSL may be deployed from the CO or local exchange
(LEX) or from the ONU
42
VDSL ONU Deployment
u Likely deployment in rural or less densely populated areas
n Both VDSL size and power consumption must be minimized: the
ONU is small and its environment is uncontrolled
u ADSL lines may be in the same binder as VDSL lines
emanating from the ONU
n Spectral compatibility with ADSL an issue
CO/LEX CO/LEX
. .
. .
. .
Twisted-pair lines
ONU ONU
Fiber
Large distance
Up to 4.5 kft (1.5 km)
43
VDSL CO/LEX Deployment
u Likely deployment in densely populated areas
n Minimizing VDSL size and power consumption is important but
not critical because the CO/LEX environment is controlled
u ADSL lines may also emanate from the CO/LEX
n In this case VDSL never affects ADSL performance
. .
. .
. .
Twisted-pair lines
CO/LEX CO/LEX
Up to 4.5 kft (1.5 km)
Must be robust to common VDSL impairments
Bridged taps, crosstalk, radio-frequency (RF) ingress, impulse noise
Must support both symmetric and asymmetric bit rates and a
variety of asymmetric ratios
Symmetric: 26 Mbps, 13 Mbps, 8 Mbps, etc.
Asymmetric: 52/6.4 Mbps, 26/3.2 Mbps, 12/2 Mbps, 6/2 Mbps, etc.
Ratios: 8:1, 6:1, 4:1, 3:1, 2:1
Must be spectrally compatible with ADSL and other services
Low power consumption (1.5 W/line) and small size required for
ONU deployment
Low cost also desirable
VDSL System Requirements
45
VDSL Egress Control
u Inverse of ingress is egress
u Emissions from VDSL lines into amateur radio bands will
occur if VDSL PSD is too high in those bands
u The VDSL PSD must be limited to -80 dBm/Hz within the
amateur radio bands to ensure interference is inaudible
Frequency-division duplexing (FDD) Frequency-division duplexing (FDD)
Inflexible/Expensive: Inflexible/Expensive:
w in general, bandwidths of upstream and downstream channels
must be determined in advance
w to accommodate different downstream:upstream bit rate ratios,
channel bandwidths must be programmable, which leads to
increases in system complexity
UP UP DOWN DOWN
POTS/ISDN POTS/ISDN
f f
Duplexing Alternatives for VDSL
47
Duplexing Alternatives for VDSL
Echo-cancellation (EC) Echo-cancellation (EC)
Impractical: Impractical:
w self-NEXT increases with frequency, so echo-cancellation is
only practical over small, low-frequency bandwidths
w support of symmetric bit rate ratios is infeasible because
required overlapping bandwidth is too high
UP UP DOWN DOWN
POTS/ISDN POTS/ISDN
f f
u A single frequency band is used to support both upstream and
downstream transmission
u Modems can either transmit or receive at any time, but not both
simultaneously
u Modems in a binder are synchronized to a common clock
u A superframe structure is used to coordinate when the VTU-Os and
VTU-Rs transmit
u u Synchronized DMT (SDMT) = DMT modems operating in a TDD Synchronized DMT (SDMT) = DMT modems operating in a TDD
fashion fashion
POTS/ISDN POTS/ISDN
f f
DOWN/UP DOWN/UP
Time-division Duplexing (TDD)
u A superframe is a set of consecutive symbols, each of which is
classified as downstream, upstream, or quiet
u By varying the number of upstream and downstream symbols in the
superframe, a wide range of data rate ratios can be supported
n Example: 20-symbol superframe
w 9-Q-9-Q superframe supports symmetric transmission
w 16-Q-2-Q superframe supports 8:1 transmission
w 12-Q-6-Q superframe supports 2:1 transmission
u Ideally, all lines in a binder support the same data rate ratio
Quiet intervals
Downstream
Ping-pong Ping-pong
Upstream
TDD Superframes
50
Synchronization Requirements
u Superframes from different modems must be synchronized to avoid NEXT
between lines
u Synchronization can be achieved by:
n Providing a common clock at the ONU/CO (i.e., 8 kHz network clock)
n Allowing one VTU-O to source the master clock for all lines
n Using GPS technology to derive a common clock
DS US
US US
US
DS DS
DS
DS US US DS
DS US US DS
51
Digital Subscriber
Digital Subscriber
Lines (DSL)
Lines (DSL)
Spectral Compatibility
Spectral Compatibility
52
Bandwidth Utilization
100 MHz 10 MHz 1 MHz 100 kHz 10 kHz
POTS
ADSL
VDSL
ISDN
HDSL
100 MHz 10 MHz 1 MHz 100 kHz 10 kHz
POTS
Pre xDSL
Post xDSL
53
In this configuration, VDSL can interfere with ADSL
If band below 1.104 MHz supports upstream VDSL, then ADSL
downstream performance is degraded by VDSL NEXT
If band below 1.104 MHz supports downstream VDSL, then ADSL
downstream performance is degraded by VDSL FEXT
SDMT can prevent interference to ADSL band by turning off subchannels SDMT can prevent interference to ADSL band by turning off subchannels
below 1.104 MHz below 1.104 MHz
In situations when interference from VDSL to ADSL is not of concern, this In situations when interference from VDSL to ADSL is not of concern, this
band can be enabled to maximize performance band can be enabled to maximize performance
Customer
Premise
(CP)
Spectral Compatibility with ADSL
54
Summary
u Reviewed xDSL network topologies and associated issues
u Described transmission environment and channel
impairments
n xDSL environment is harsh
u Examined line code alternatives
n DMT
n CAP/QAM
u Described xDSLs:
n ADSL
n Splitterless
n G.lite
n VDSL