ADSL

ADSL
(Asymmetric
Digital
Subscriber
Line)
is
a
technology
for
transmitting digital information at a high bandwidth on existing phone lines to homes
and businesses. Unlike regular dialup phone service, ADSL provides continuouslyavailable, "always on" connection. ADSL is asymmetric in that it uses most of the
channel to transmit downstream to the user and only a small part to receive information
from the user. ADSL simultaneously accommodates analog (voice) information on the
same line. ADSL is generally offered at downstream data rates from 512 Kbps to about
6 Mbps.
ADSL was specifically designed to exploit the one-way nature of most multimedia
communication in which large amounts of information flow toward the user and only a
small amount of interactive control information is returned. Several experiments with
ADSL to real users began in 1996. In 1998, wide-scale installations began in several parts
of the U.S. In 2000 and beyond, ADSL and other forms of DSL are expected to become
generally available in urban areas. With ADSL (and other forms of DSL), telephone
companies are competing with cable companies and their cable modem services.
ADSL is a type of DSLbroadband communications technology used for connecting to the
Internet. ADSL allows more data to be sent over existing copper telephone lines (POTS),
when compared to traditional modem lines. A special filter, called a microfilter, is
installed on a subscriber's telephone line to allow both ADSL and regular voice
(telephone) services to be used at the same time. ADSL requires a special ADSL modem
and subscribers must be in close geographical locations to the provider's central office to
receive ADSL service.
What DS Means
The DS in DS1 and DS3 stands for Digital Signal level. It is a designation that is used to specify
the capacity of a digital line in the T-carrier system. You know the most popular T-carrier service
as T1. Another popular service is T3. In simple terms, DS1 goes along with T1 and DS3 goes
along with T3.
History of the T-Carrier System
Now, lets see whats behind these DS levels and T-carriers. The history of this system goes back
to the 1950s, when Bell Labs recognized the advantage of changing from an all-analog
telephone system to digital connections between telephone company offices. Digital
transmission carries many conversations on few wires and eliminates the noise and cross-talk
that were commonly heard on long distance calls at that time.
DS0 Transports One Telephone Call
The most basic service is one two-way telephone conversation. That was made the most basic
element of the T-carrier system and given the designation DS0 or Digital Signal level zero. A DS0
signal is the digital representation of a single voice call. It has a bandwidth of 64 Kbps formed by
sampling the audio conversation at a rate of 8 Kbps with 8 bits of data. Those numbers are
critical, because they represent the minimum bandwidth needed to give the same audio quality
as an equivalent analog phone line.

DS1 offers 1.5 Mbps Bandwidth

If a DS0 is one phone call and consumes 64 Kbps of bandwidth, then what is a DS1? DS1 is a
collection of 24 DS0 channels packed together in a bundle. Thats 24 separate telephone
conversations. The bandwidth for this bundle is 1.536 Mbps. When you add 8 Kbps for
synchronization, the total bandwidth is 1.544 Mbps. Its commonly referred to as 1.5 Mbps. A T1
line is a DS1 digital signal package carried on a very specific physical network consisting of 2 pair
of twisted pair telco wires with a defined voltage and waveform characteristic.
DS3 offers 45 Mbps Bandwidth
Thats what DS1 means. Now, how about DS3? If you bundle 28 DS1 signals, the equivalent of
672 DS0 voice channels, you get a DS3. The bandwidth of this signal is 44.736 Mbps, often
referred to as 45 Mbps. A T3 line carries a DS3 signal on coaxial cable, although T3 service may
also be sent by microwave.
Mixing and Matching DS1 and DS3
Now, heres where things get interesting. You can generate the DS digital signal protocol but not
necessarily use a T1 line or T3 line for transport. In a process called multiplexing, multiple DS1
and DS3 signals can be combined and transported over fiber optic cable. The SONET fiber optic
services were designed to directly accommodate this. The lowest bandwidth SONET service
generally available is OC3, which carries 3 multiplexed DS3 signals with a total bandwidth of
155.52 Mbps. When the signals get to where they are needed, they are separated or
demultiplexed to get back the 3 DS3 signals, which might be constructed of 28 DS1 signals each.
When used to transport data packets instead of telephone calls, the individual channels are
generally invisible to the end user, although they exist within the T-carrier and SONET systems.
DS1 and T1 can be said to have a bandwidth 1.5 Mbps. DS3 and T3 can be said to have a
bandwidth of 45 Mbps. It is these numbers that you can use to compare pricing with competing
telecom services , such as Metro Ethernet.