DSL and Wi-Fi network software tool developer ASSIA, Inc. has announced the latest version of its flagship product. The ASSIA DSL Expresse 3.1 offers several enhancements over previous versions, including the ability to simultaneously manage vectored and non-vectored lines.
Vectoring is a noise cancellation technology that, in combination with bonding, can help enable VDSL2 networks to support downstream broadband data rates of 100 Mbps. However, without the proper management, initial deployments of the technology often required that every line in the binder be converted to a vectoring-enabled service, which ASSIA points out could be expensive and impractical. DSL Expresse 3.1 enables a more seamless and cost-effective transition to vectoring so that vectored and non-vectored lines can coexist without performance degradation.
"ASSIA has solved the very difficult problem of enabling service providers to upgrade selectively from ADSL/VDSL to vectored VDSL while managing both networks," said Teresa Mastrangelo, principal analyst of Broadbandtrends, via an ASSIA press release. "Before the release of ASSIA DSL Expresse 3.1, some industry observers believed that all lines in the same binder would need to upgrade simultaneously to vectored VDSL to achieve desired performance gains."
Alcatel-Lucent recently announced a similar capability for its VDSL vectoring offering (see “Alcatel-Lucent announces Zero Touch Vectoring for VDSL2 broadband”). However, Jerome Joanny, vice president of product management at ASSIA, asserted to Lightwave that the ASSIA approach is superior in that it will work with systems and customer premises equipment from a variety of vendors while providing several other vectoring-friendly features. These include:
- a "vectoring predictor" that analyzes each line in a network and predicts how much each line might benefit from vectoring
- the ability to identify determine whether an individual CPE can already support vectoring, requires a software upgrade to do so, or needs to be replaced
- provide spectrum management of non-vectored lines to minimize the impact on vectored lines' performance.
- PHY retransmission management that supports G.INP standard PHY retransmission and Broadcom’s proprietary PHY-R technology for protection against impulse noise. Joanny asserts that carriers will find that both G.INP and retransmission capabilities will be necessary to fully maintain network services.
DSL Expresse also comes with ClearView, an expert system that provides recommendations to a contact center agent or field technician tasked with solving a customer DSL problem. The tool also works with Wi-Fi networks.
ASSIA DSL Expresse 3.1 first customer deliveries will begin next month, says Joanny.
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