ADSL Forum Unveils Packet & ATM Extensions To DSL
September 4, 1998
MONTREAL, CANADA, Newsbytes via NewsEdge
Corporation : The ADSL Forum has announced the
approval of two technical reports on ADSL (asymmetric
digital subscriber line) architectures. The two reports,
detailing packet mode and ATM (asynchronous transfer
mode) technologies, are expected to result in the
development of open standard extensions for DSL
technology, Newsbytes notes.
The reports were completed by two of the Forum
technical committee's seven working groups, the ATM
working group, and the former Services Network Access
(SNA) working group.
According to the Forum, the report, "Requirements &
Reference Models for ADSL Access Networks," serves
as a background framework against which specific work
on Packet mode and ATM mode architectures can be
developed within the Forum.
Specifically, the report describes the framework of
domains (service, transport, access and premises) within
which ADSL delivered services exist. It also, Newsbytes
understands, sets out the generic requirements of ADSL
architectures such as scalability, session negotiation
and configuration.
According to the Forum, having completed the other
report, called "An End-to- End Packet Mode
Architecture with Tunneling and Service Selection" the
Packet Mode working group has effectively finished its
planned work.
This report specifies a tunneling based end-to-end
architecture using packets over ADSL between the
customer's ADSL unit and the network access provider's
ADSL equipment. It also specifies a method of
connection to the ADSL services which will allow
simultaneous and independent connection between a
number of users who are connected with different
service providers.
Newsbytes notes that previous reports by this working
group have described how packet transport over ADSL
can be mapped down into the ADSL physical layer.
What is interesting about this new report, Newsbytes
notes, is that, as well as following on from earlier
DSL-specific reports, it enables potential ADSL vendors
to understand the requirements needed to be able to
offer complete end- to-end packet transmission services
over ADSL to users.
According to Hans-Erhard Reiter, the Forum's chairman,
although these reports have been completed, the Forum
realizes that there is still a great deal of technical work to
be done.
"These reports are a further significant step on the way
to understanding how ADSL could operate on a wide
commercial scale and to delivering ADSL to the mass
market worldwide," he said.
"There are still issues to address and the Forum has an
aggressive program in its technical committees under
the chairmanship of Gavin Young to maintain the
momentum of progress," he said.
Newsbytes notes that extending ATM to work over
ADSL topologies is one of the key objectives of the
ATM mode working group. Plans call for developments
in this area to be announced at the ADSL Forum's next
summit meeting, which takes place on September 15 in
Singapore for a three-day run. The first day of the event
is open to the public.
During the recent Montreal meeting, the Forum says
that the message that all parties are working together to
advance the development of ADSL was reinforced.
Many of the carrier representatives that attended the
meeting reported that, although widescale commercial
deployments have begun, there is still work to be done
before ADSL can be deployed to the worldwide
consumer mass market.
Newsbytes notes that the ADSL Forum consists of
nearly 300 companies representing the world's computer,
networking, and communications industries. The
non-profit organization was created in late 1994 to speed
the mass-market deployment of ADSL services by
developing end-to-end network architectures.
The Forum's Web site is at adsl.com .
Reported by Newsbytes News Network,
newsbytes.com .
(19980903/Press Contact: Carol Friend, Pielle Consulting
+44-171-323- 1587; Ann Jansen, Jansen Communications
503-648-3545; Reader Contact: ADSL Forum 510-608-
5905/WIRES NETWORK/)
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