Closing the DSL Technical Divide

Current advances in DSL chip-level technologies are divided into two separate but equally important areas. The first area of advancement focuses on providing "traditional" ADSL service technology, while the second concerns the creation and standardization of technology that increases the speed of DSL connections. These areas of DSL technology represent the present and future of DSL.

Chip level technology that provides traditional ADSL services at speed of under one Mbps has overcome the initial problems of stability and compatibility. This has allowed IC vendors to begin to focus on increasing the functionality and lowering the cost of these well-defined solutions. At the same time because these solutions have become so robust, IC vendors are now also able to address questions such as when and how to diminish chip size; whether to optimize analog chips and line drivers or integrate analog and digital sub-systems, and whether to add-on or integrate wireless and Ethernet functionality.

Moving beyond the limits of traditional ADSL offerings, DSL technology providers are also responding to a demand for high speed DSL that is driving the technology farther and faster than ever before. Starting in Asia in 2003, and now spreading worldwide, service providers have begun to offer service speeds with downstream rates of up to 50 Mbps. This increased speed calls for new deployment models, a less centralized architecture, and a host of new questions and challenges to be faced by DSL technology providers. Should high speed DSL be delivered by means of faster ADSL or by VDSL alone? Should the focus be on DSL technology that addresses the MxU or CO DSLAM model? Should DSL lines carry Ethernet packets or ATM Cells?

Chairperson:

Bernard Debbasch, Vice President, VDSL Products, Conexant Systems, Inc. has been with Conexant (formerly GlobespanVirata) since 2000. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Debbasch was Vice President and Co-founder of Ultima Communication; an IP company focused on systems design, protocols and wireless applications. Prior to his work at Ultima Communication, Mr. Debbasch served both as a Manager, European Design Center and then as a Division Director in Conexant's (formerly Rockwell Semiconductors) Personal Communications Division. Mr. Debbasch holds a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Universite Aix-Marseille III in Marseille, France as well as a Masters Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecommunications de Bretagne in Brest, France.

Speakers:

J. Francois Crepin, President, Office of the Chief Executive Officer, Metalink

Gordon Lawton, European Head of System Architecture, Wintegra

Behrooz Rezvani, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ikanos Communications, was elected editor of the IEEE standard for Ethernet in the first mile (EFM) over copper (IEEE 802.3 EFM). He also edited the governing document for xDSL coexistence, the ANSI spectral compatibility and management standards (T1.417) used by the FCC when it addressed the issue of unbundling the local loop.