2006 Broadband Technology report

SUMMARY

This report provides a detailed, independent, introduction to broadband access technologies, for regulators, investors and for the management and technical staff of carriers and other corporations. We explain the key technical principles behind the major broadband technologies: Fibre to the Premises or the Home (FttP/FttH), VDSL (Very High Rate Digital Subscriber Line, also known as Fibre to the Node or Curb - FttN/FttC), ADSL (Asymmetrical DSL), Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) Cable and Broadband over Powerlines (BPL, also known as Powerline Communications).

This report also contains explanations and analyses of:

• Historical background
• Principles of operation
• Technical standards
• Critical analysis of strengths and weaknesses
• Competition with other technologies
• Opportunities for new services
• Combining technologies
• Links to industry consortia, standards bodies, regulators and key vendors
• Explaining established technologies in detail

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. LAST MILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES

• 1.1 Twisted Pair, POTS, ISDN
  • 1.1.1 Introduction and historical perspective
  • 1.1.2 Twisted pair copper for analogue telephony
  • 1.1.3 Twisted pair copper for ISDN
• 1.2 Fibre
  • 1.2.1 FTTP, Passive Optical Networks
  • 1.2.2 Metro Ethernet, GPON
• 1.3 ADSL
  • 1.3.1 Common characteristics of XDSL
  • 1.3.2 Frequency allocations
  • 1.3.3 ADSL modems and DSLAMs
  • 1.3.4 Obstacles to deployment
  • 1.3.5 Modulation schemes
  • 1.3.6 ADSL technical standards
  • 1.3.7 Data rates and distances
  • 1.3.8 Comparing ADSL and HFC
• 1.4 Symmetrical SHDSL, VoDSL
  • 1.4.1 Symmetrical DSL
  • 1.4.2 T1 and E1
  • 1.4.3 BR-ISDN and IDSL
  • 1.4.4 HDSL
  • 1.4.5 SDSL
  • 1.4.6 SHDSL G.991.2
  • 1.4.7 Voice over broadband (VoBB)
  • 1.4.8 Latency and delay
  • 1.4.9 VODSL - Voice over DSL
  • 1.4.10 CVODSL - Channelised Voice over DSL
• 1.5 FTTC, VDSL
  • 1.5.1 Introduction
  • 1.5.2 Single and multi-carrier modulation techniques
  • 1.5.3 DMT - OFDM
  • 1.5.4 Early, non-ITU, standards
  • 1.5.5 Technical standards FttC and VDSL
• 1.6 HFC, DOCSIS 1.x & 2.0
  • 1.6.1 Introduction
  • 1.6.2 HFC's stringent design and maintenance requirements
  • 1.6.3 DOCSIS 1.x and 2.0
  • 1.6.4 DOCSIS-related standards
  • 1.6.5 Node splitting and frequency re-alignment
  • 1.6.6 High frequency expansion
  • 1.6.7 DOCSIS 3.0
  • 1.6.8 Switched Digital Video
  • 1.6.9 HFC future prospects

2. BROADBAND POWER LINE TECHNOLOGY

• 2.1 Architecture and techniques
  • 2.1.1 Introduction
  • 2.1.2 Power infrastructure architectures
  • 2.1.3 BPL techniques and architectures
  • 2.1.4 Propagation, attenuation, isolation and crosstalk
  • 2.1.5 Frequencies and modulation Techniques
• 2.2 Standards and HomePlug PLC
  • 2.2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2.2 Technical standards
  • 2.2.3 HomePlug
• 2.3 OPERA, DS2 BPL and co-existence
  • 2.3.1 DS2
  • 2.3.2 The EU OPERA project
  • 2.3.3 Practical data rates
  • 2.3.4 Market requirements for access BPL and in-home PLC
• 2.4 BPL access systems
  • 2.4.1 Commercial BPL systems
  • 2.4.2 Trials and commercial deployment
• 2.5 Interference and challenges
  • 2.5.1 Introduction
  • 2.5.2 Interference
  • 2.5.3 A critical view: considering alternatives
  • 2.5.4 Barriers and challenges

3. GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS

• Exhibit 1 - Comparison of ADSL/VDSL and HFC systems
• Exhibit 2 - Access node deployment scenarios
  • Table 1 - Properties of major DSL versions - 2006
  • Table 2 - HDSL reach (km) versus wire gauge
  • Table 3 - ITU VDSL band-plans
  • Table 4 - G.993.2 VDSL2 profiles