12 March 2003 -- RAD Data Communications announced at CeBIT 2003 (this week) the launch of the FDSL-101, a new Fibre DSL extender, which allows DSL lines to be extended transparently up to 20km from the central office.
Avi Katz, Senior Product Line Manager, said, "Carriers would like to provide the highest data rates to as many DSL customers as possible, but there is a trade-off between rate and range, so that high rate services can be provided only to a limited distance, while remote customers currently receive either a low bit rate or no service."
"The shorter the range the greater the data rate, and the longer the range the smaller the data rate. In order to provide high speed services, such as video on demand or TV, the distance has to be shortened between the customer and the service provider.
"The FDSL-101 DSL-over-fibre extender does exactly that by significantly increasing DSL¿s range, enabling high speed services to reach further."
This FDSL solution is claimed to take advantage of existing DSLAMs at the carrier's central office, cutting the need to buy extra DSLAMs. Operation and maintenance costs are also reduced, since management is concentrated at the CO, rather than spread among dozens of remote sites.
Until now, adds Katz, small offices and home offices (SOHOs) often have had to forfeit DSL service because it is simply not economical for a carrier to purchase a DSLAM that would serve a few clusters of small enterprise customers.
"In extending DSL's range without having to deploy additional DSLAMs," Katz notes, "the FDSL allows carriers by offer DSL services to these same pool of potential users who, until now, they have had to pass over."
The FDSL-101 is transparent to most types of DSL technology (except IDSL and VDSL) and transparent to vendor. Therefore it can be used to extend some DSLs over a single fibre optic link and mix and match different services, such as MSDSL for businesses, HDSL for E1/T1, SHDSL for E1 or TDM and ADSL for homes or small businesses.
All these different services can even be supplied to the same building, if necessary, from one device. This benefit, unique to the FDSL, simultaneously guarantees future migration paths between DSL technologies.
Because of its small size, the FDSL-101 can be installed anywhere in the carrier¿s network, including street cabinets, even in cabinets that lack a power supply. Using up to four copper pairs, the product can be powered remotely up to 6km from the central office.