DSL: An Overview Guide

Understanding The Business Benefits of a

High Speed Always On Connection

Good Things Come To

Those Who Wait
unfortunately, if youre in business, making commitments, working on
deadlines, summoning downloads, or just trying to connect to the Internet,
waiting is the last thing you want to do. What enterprise users, small office
users, even home users, all have in common is the need for speed. Today,
even better things come to those with high-speed connections.
You may have started with 14.4 Kbps, then upgraded to 28.8 Kbpsnow
even 56 Kbps isnt fast enough for many business applications and services
you use, or cant use, on a daily basis. Doubling analog modem speeds every
few years using traditional modulation schemes is no longer enough.
For large downloads, video conferencing, and other real-time applications,
you need far more than a 100% increase in bandwidthand of courseat
an affordable price.

Time For A New Technology

If youve been reading articles and doing a little research about high-speed
options, youre probably more confused than ever. There are several competingbut sometimes more overlapping than competingaccess technologies
from which to choose. And theres no easy basis for comparison. So which
technology is best?
At 3Com, we have no technology ax to grindwe provide them alland
lead the market in innovative ways to make all access solutions easier, faster
and more reliable. We can tell the most complete story because we support
all the standards to make interoperability complexities transparent to our
customers.

Introducing DSL
This white paper describes what DSL is, what it isnt, the important benefits,
and how you can determine whether its right for you. Youll find our presentation of the information well-balanced and without hype. To make the most
informed decision, weve included a discussion of the unique DSL features
and benefits only 3Com can provide.
So if youre looking for a high performance, affordable solution that speeds
your productivity as well as your downloads, plus delivers the Internet
services youve only been able to read about, read on.

DSL: Its About Time, and

How to Compress it
So Why Do the
Phone Companies
Like ADSL?
Of course, for phone companies, ADSL represents a
competitive revenue-generating alternative to cable.
However, theres another
important reason. With the
explosion of Internet traffic,
central office circuit switches
are inundated with dial-up
analog and ISDN traffic. To
date, the only solution has
been adding more and faster
expensive circuit switches and
increased facilities.
However, now POTS Splitters
and the DSLAM at the central
office terminate and aggregate
incoming ADSL lines. Phone
companies can split apart data
traffic, sending just the voice
traffic to the circuit switches
and on to the PSTN (Public
Switched Telephone Network),
dramatically reducing congestion. From the central office,
the data is channeled onto a
high-speed digital line and
onto the WAN backbone.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is the next-generation modem-like technology for delivering voice, video and data at multi-megabit speeds. DSL
services are designed for the local loop, or last mile copper from the
telephone companys CO (Central Office) to the end users business or
homea range of up to 18,000 feet or 3.4 miles or 5.5 kms.
A major advantage of this high-speed, dedicated, point-to-point technology is that it uses the existing copper telephone wires to your office and
home. With 800 million phone lines deployed throughout the world, there
is very little need for new wiring. If you have a standard RJ11 phone jack,
you are probably already wired. All you need is a DSL modem thats
compatible with your service providers CO equipment (DSLAM or Digital
Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) and downloads flash before your eyes.
In the next two to three years, DSL services, including ADSL, SDSL, IDSL,
HDSL, and VDSL, will play a significant role, supporting high-speed
Internet/intranet access, online services, video-on-demand, television,
interactive entertainment, and voice transmission to the enterprise, small
office, home office, and ultimately, the consumer market.

ADSL is Asymmetric DSL

ADSL provides more bandwidth downstream for faster downloads where
its needed, than for uploads. Often referred to as ADSL Full Rate, G.dmt
standard or, to be technical, G.992.1, ADSL Full Rate supports downstream
speeds up to 8 Mbps, and upstream rates up to 1 Mbps. To appreciate how
fast an ADSL Full Rate download really is, thats up to 278 times faster than
a 28.8 Kbps modem, up to 143 times faster than a 56 Kbps modem, and up
to 62 times faster than a 128 Kbps ISDN line.
How can ADSL get so much more performance out of the same copper
wires than say a 56K modem? ADSL modems leverage signal processing
techniques that insert and extract more digital data onto analog lines
beyond the frequencies of normal voice service. Because the high frequency carrier signal can be modified, a larger digital data payload can be
carried in the wave over greater distances using standard phone lines.
An additional device installed at the customer premise, commonly known
as a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) Splitter, separates the regular
voice telephone signal from the high-speed digital data signal modulated
above it. This keeps the voice line free for incoming voice or fax calls, as
opposed to ISDN or 56K which borrows bandwidth from the voice fre-

quencies. For the user, this means they can access the Internet and make a
phone call at the same time without slowing data access.
When an ADSL transmission is received at the CO, the central office POTS
Splitter then sends the voice traffic to the voice switches and the data traffic
to the DSLAM and off to the WAN (Wide Area Network). There are two
types of DSLAMs: the central office DSLAM is built for high density and
concentration, and the remote DSLAM that sits in the DLC (Digital Loop
Carrier) system in neighborhoods and office parks.

ADSL Full Rate

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The POTS Splitter at the customers office allows voice and data to travel the same ADSL line back to the CO.
The POTS Splitter at the CO then sends voice traffic to the voice switches and data traffic to the DSLAM
where it enters the WAN.

ADSL Subscriber
Benefits
High-speed Internet access
Remote LAN access/

corporate network access

Near-Ethernet download
speeds
Uses existing phone wires
Simultaneous use of a
single phone line for voice
and data
Internet-based calling
Internet-based video and
whiteboarding
No slowdown or degradation of service through
sharing
Convenience of Always
On access
Ease of installation
Affordability

Who Can Benefit From

ADSL?
any consumer, building, company, or campus thats within 18,000 feet or
3.4 miles or 5.5 kms of a central office where ADSL is offered. That makes
it an excellent choice for business, residential and private networks including remote offices, branch offices, small offices, home users, and
telecommuters as well as hotels, hospitals, local governments, and universities who need dedicated point-to-point Internet access service offering the
consistent speed and security that shared services cannot provide.
The asymmetry for faster downloads, combined with always on access
(which eliminates call setup), makes ADSL ideal for high-speed Internet/
intranet access, video-on-demand and remote LAN (Local Area Network)
access. Other applications that can benefit right now from ADSL include:
eCommerce
Telecommuting / Virtual Private Networks
Distance learning
Voice over IP
Video conferencing and whiteboarding
Medical imaging
Real-time information exchange
Entertainmentonline gaming

POWER SPECTRAL DENSITY

How Standards-Based ADSL Manages Bandwidth

POTS

4 KHZ

UPSTREAM

30 KHZ

DOWNSTREAM

1.1 MHZ

138 KHZ

Standards-based ADSL modems leverage signal processing techniques that insert and extract more
digital data onto analog lines. The DMT (Discrete Multi-Tone) line code separates the phone line into
three channels: up to 4 kHz channel reserved for voice, a 30 kHz to 138 kHz channel reserved for
upstream traffic, and a 138 kHz to 1.1 Mhz channel reserved for downstream traffic.

Frequency

ADSL Lite: Its Less FillingReally

at least in terms of cost and bandwidth. Downstream, ADSL Lite supports up to 1.5 Mbps and upstream, up to 512 Kbps, again, at distances up
to 18,000 feet or 3.4 miles or 5.5 kms from the central office.
Also known as Splitterless, Universal ADSL, G.992.2, or G.lite, ADSL Lite is
a lower-speed version of ADSL that dispenses with the need for the phone
company to install and maintain an end user-based POTS Splitter. Essentially, by reducing the data rate, line interference is manageable, and
therefore a POTS Splitter is not required. By eliminating a phone company
visit, or truck roll, as well as the additional splitter equipment, a significant cost reduction can be passed on to the consumer.
Customers will be able to take the G.lite modems they buy at their local
computer retail store (more on this) and connect them directly to their
phone jacks. Its plug and play. By simplifying installation and reducing
cost, ADSL Lite will be more attractive to the larger consumer market.
Since it will support both data and voice, G.lite provides an evolution to
full-rate ADSL if more bandwidth is required.
The effort to introduce G.lite is being spearheaded by the UAWG (Universal ADSL Working Group), an industry group in which 3Com is a contributing member and an active participant. The UAWGs charter is to support
and expedite the development of a worldwide G.lite standard.

ADSL Lite
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Running at a slower rate than ADSL Full Rate, G.lite does not require a POTS Splitter at the
customers home or office saving time, equipment and the cost of a truck roll. Voice and data
travel the ADSL line back to the CO. The POTS Splitter at the CO then sends voice traffic to the voice
switches and data traffic to the DSLAM where it enters the WAN.

SDSL and IDSL: The Same Coming as Going

We mention SDSL (Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) and IDSL (ISDN
over Digital Subscriber Line) to more clearly position the range of DSL
offerings and their associated benefits. The key ways in which these two
technologies differ from ADSL is that in each case the download and
upload speeds are the same, making them ideal for LAN-to-LAN traffic
and large bandwidth applications such as full motion video conferencing,
web hosting and collaborative computing. Neither service supports voice
so POTS Splitters are not needed. And the services are currently nonstandard so customers need to know which modem will work with their
service providers central office equipment.
SDSL and IDSL connect remote offices and telecommuters to corporate
networks and the Internet, delivering LAN-like performance. Whether
users choose the higher speed SDSL modem or the longer reach IDSL
solution depends on their distance from the CO and the particular applications they want to support.
SDSL supports speeds within a T1 (1.544 Mbps) and E1 (2.048 Mbps)
rangeat a maximum range of 22,770 feet or 4.5 miles or 6.7 kms from
the central office over ordinary phone lines. Service providers offer SDSL
broadband access as an affordable T1-alternative because it provides small
offices, branch offices, and telecommuters greatly improved productivity
with more affordable and more predictable telecommunication costs.
Unlike HDSL (High Bit Rate Digital Subscriber Line), a service with
similar features that requires four wires, SDSL only requires two wires.
However, unlike ADSL, SDSL provides a data-only connection; in other
words, a second line is required to carry voice.
SDSL uses a line modulation scheme called 2B1Q (Two-Binary, OneQuaternary), the same line coding used with HDSL, IDSL and ISDN. The
advantage of 2B1Q is that it doesnt cause line interference (known as
crosstalk) with existing T1 services, allowing SDSL and IDSL to co-exist
with a number of voice and data offerings in the service providers network.
With SDSL, users can initially purchase their service at 128 Kbps. And as
bandwidth needs grow, their service provider can remotely increase the
line speed to any of six additional speeds up to 1.544 Mbps without
additional hardware investment. Service providers have established varying
rate plans and throughput offerings based upon customer demand and
line conditions in the served regions.
IDSL, like SDSL, is a data-only service but operates over existing ISDNready (Integrated Services Digital Network) circuits available today in most
areas. IDSL typically operates up to 144 Kbpsfaster than ISDN at 128
Kbpsbecause it uses an inband signaling technique, making room for
more of the users data. IDSL works with standard U loop ISDN repeaters

to extend the typical DSL range from 18,000 feet up to 36,000 feet from the
CO. In addition, IDSL is a good choice where services are deployed via
DLCs (Digital Loop Carriers). DLCs are large wiring boxes used to extend
the local loop to office parks and other remote locations.
IDSL has a number of advantages over ISDN. All-digital always on networking eliminates dialing and provides predictable telecommunications
costs. IDSL transmits data over a dedicated data network that bypasses the
congested PSTN network used for ISDN and POTS. IDSL can run through
existing DLCs, which means existing infrastructure does not need to be
modified. Often, IDSL service is billed on a monthly basis compared to
ISDN, which is per packet or minute. This gives organizations a predictable
monthly telecommunications cost. However, unlike ISDN, you dont have
the ability to use those same lines for voice calls so youll need to keep your
existing POTS service for voice.

SDSL

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POTS Splitters are not required at either end of the line because SDSL and IDSL are data-only
services. Instead, data traffic travels a high-speed line directly to the COs DSLAM where it enters
the WAN. A second line carries voice calls to the COs voice switches.

How DSL Got Started

DSL services were first conceived as the phone
companys answer to cable data services. It was
initially designed to provide video-on-demand
and interactive TV applications over twisted-pair
wires. When fiber-based broadband loops proved
too costly for widespread deployment, interest in
developing DSL last mile services intensified.
Another boost to DSL came with the passage of
the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996,
allowing local phone companies, ILECs (Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers), IXCs (Interexchange
Carriers), ISPs (Internet Service Providers), CLECs

(Competitive Local Exchange Carriers), satellite,

and cable companies and radio/television broadcasters in the US to compete in one anothers
markets. The race for affordable broadband
bandwidth was on. So far, ADSL and the lower
speed G.lite have emerged as the DSL services
most in demand for consumers. For businesses,
SDSL is the preferred service. They all support
applications like integrated Internet access,
intranet access, remote LAN access, video on
demand, and more.

But What About Cable?

Cable companies have done a good job marketing
their medium as an infrastructure that can provide
broadband Internet access as well as television. And
it certainly does that in the parts of the country
where the service is available. At this point, cable has
better residential-market penetration than ADSL.
However, cable companies are still working to resolve
a number of issues that prevent it from becoming a
professional business toolsuch as availability at
commercial sites, customer service and overall
reputation; issues that telephone companies have
addressed and continue to improve.
Today, cable modems are mostly targeted at consumers for residential useand for good reason. Theoretically, cable modems offer downstream speeds up
to 30 Mbps and an upstream connection up to 10
Mbps back to the cable headend. However, unlike
DSL and ISDN, cable modems are a sharednot
dedicatedaccess technology. That means that total
available bandwidth is shared among users in a
neighborhood, as if they were on a local LAN.
Therefore, not everyone on the network will get the
top speeds of 10 to 30 Mbps.

So, much like dealing with a popular service provider

today using a 56K modem, during off-peak hours,
your cable broadband connection speed can be pretty
good. However, if you share your cable connection
with the local high school for instance, and the
students jump on the Internet at 3:00 PM, your cable
bandwidth would now be split many more times over.
Nearby users working out of their home offices could
suddenly experience a dramatic slowdown through
their cable connection. DSL guarantees your speed
over a line dedicated to your use, and offers valuedadded applications such as increased bandwidth
when you need itsomething cable cannot do yet.
And, since the cable is shared, security at this time is a
critical issuesomething most businesses and many
users find unacceptable. Finally, for the near-term,
the wide-spread introduction of cable modems is still
dependent on the development and deployment of
complex, two-way transmission systems that wont tie
up your telephone line, as well as operations systems
for management and billing.

Battle of the Bandwidths: A Comparison of

Current Access Technologies
Distance
Limits (feet/kms)

Flavor Bandwidth

Mode

ADSL

32 kbps to 8 Mbps
32 kbps to 1.1 Mbps

Downstream
Upstream

Up to18,000 or 5.5 kms

UADSL
(G.lite)

64 kbps to 1.5 Mbps

32 kbps to 512 kbps

Downstream
Upstream

Up to 18,000 or 5.5 kms

SDSL

1.54 Mbps (T1)

2.048 Mbps (E1)

Symmetric
Symmetric

Up to 22,000 or 6.7 kms

IDSL

144 kbps

Symmetric

18,000 or 5.5 kms

36,000 or 11 kms with
repeaters

VDSL

13 to 52 Mbps
1.5 to 2.3 Mbps

Downstream
Upstream

4,000 or 1.2 kms

HDSL

1.54 Mbps (T1)

2.048 Mbps (E1)

Symmetric
Symmetric

15,000 or 4.5 kms

ADSL & UADSL support voice & data at the same time

The fact that so many WAN services continue to co-exist leads to confusion among customers. Which
remote access technologies will succeed and which will fail? New local access technologies dont necessarily
displace existing ones. Technologies like analog dial-up, dedicated leased lines and ISDN succeed in the
market based on services they support, as well as revenue generated by serving different applications.
Factors that drive marketshare and growth include availability, pricing, ease of installation and use, and
ability to support users applications.

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ADSL Customer Market Drivers

From the network users perspective, they are looking for a faster technology that can affordably support multimedia networking in terms of transmission rates as well as networking equipment expense. At the same time,
todays businesses have a growing requirement for more users to access
corporate information from remote sites. And of course, new remote
applications require more bandwidth. Consumers of all kinds are looking
for the next generation modem to provide more immediate gratification
larger, faster business-critical downloads, as well as more interactive entertainment and gaming. Finally, with faster PCs on the desktop, and faster
backbones combining SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) and
DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing), the local loop has
become an even greater speed bottleneck than it already was.

ADSL Provider Market Drivers

For the phone company, there are several market drivers. ADSL doesnt
require a major local loop upgrade. As a local access service, ADSL implementation has no critical drawbacks. It can be deployed as an overlay
network only where theres subscriber demand, eliminating the risk of
building out infrastructure unnecessarily.
Telecommunications companies see an opportunity with ADSL to leverage
customer demand for faster data access. Alternative service providers such
as enterprises, multi-tenant building owners, hospitality businesses, and
office park developers are offering or considering offering ADSL to their
users as private network operators. Cable is legitimately competing in the
same local, low cost Internet access arena. However, theres a high-end
market where cable is currently less competitive: secure, reliable, professional business Internet access.

The Players
ADSL development and deployment is focused primarily in North America,
followed by Europe and the Pacific Rim. In North America, ILECs like US
West, GTE, Ameritech, SBC, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, and BC Tel (Canada)
are among the service providers leading the current wave of DSL deployment. CLECs like NorthPoint, Rhythms, Covad and a handful of other
CLECs are entering high-density metropolitan areastypically offering a
portfolio of DSL offerings at different classes of service and price points,
and competing with the ILECs.

Forecast: Exponential Growth In DSL Deployment

More than 40 network service providers have completed trials of DSL,
mostly in North America and Europe. The full-rate ADSL technology is out
of beta and available today. Service introduction of full-rate ADSL began in
1997 but the widespread availability of ADSL will occur in late 1999 with
the availability of G.lite. In fact, worldwide, IDC projects more than 500,000
ADSL lines installed in 1999 and more than 3,000,000 by 2001.

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So Whats Taking So Long?

To a degree, telephone companies have been protecting their lucrative T1/
E1 service revenues. But to a far greater degree, the problem has been
achieving agreement on standards and overcoming deployment challenges,
i.e. some infrastructure devices the phone companies have put on the lines
to improve voice quality impact data transmission performance. As
Gartner Group puts it, Despite the apparent solidarity of the remote
access equipment industry and the carrier community behind the proposed G.lite standard...the xDSL market remains fragmented and unformed.
According to IDC, The lack of a common technical direction among the
telcos has created a DSL equipment market that supports 50 plus vendors,
each pursuing its own flavor of DSL; equipment interoperability is virtually
non-existent. The incumbent local telephone companies are the lynch pin
since they control nearly all of the local loops in the US.
With standards work ongoing, many equipment vendors have been marketing pre-standard products. A number of vendors continue to develop
and market proprietary designs for DSL and DSL-like technologies.
Again, from Gartner, LECs (Local Exchange Carriers) must deploy access
equipment in thousands of COs and DLC systems. With the major LECs
having more than 10 million local loops, the equipment they select for
deployment must be technically robust and available from multiple
vendors. Thus standards play an important role.

Thank Goodness for Standards

ADSL solutions can be developed based on two modulation schemes: CAP
(Carrierless Amplitude Phase) modulation or DMT (Discrete Multi-Tone)
modulation. CAP was the first on the market, and became the de facto
standard. Now, DMT has been determined as the standard line modulation
for ADSL going forward.

CAPAny Color As Long As Its Red

Its actually not a real standard in that it was never ratified by the ITU
(International Telecommunications Union), ANSI (American National
Standards Institute) or ETSI (European Telecom Standards Institute). So
much for standards. First the advantages: CAP is the ADSL solution with
the largest installed base today. It operates at a top speed of 7.1 Mbps.
Many vendors still manufacture CAP-based ADSL solutions, although
most vendors are building their current products based upon DMT. For
CAP-based deployments, customers are required to purchase CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) products from the same vendor selected by the
local service provider to support its DSLAM, since interoperability among
CAP products does not exist.

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DMTChip Off The Old Modem

Discrete Multi-Tone modulation is a standard, known officially as ITU
specification G.992.1. A number of RBOCs (Regional Bell Operating
Companies) pushed through the DMT initiative to get the equipment
vendors all moving in the same direction. The advantage of DMT over
CAP is that its robustness overcomes line noise and adapts to line conditions which enables higher broadband rates.
However, the problem of interoperability is similar. Even though equipment vendors are designing standards-compliant DMT equipment, the
most basic signaling of the modulation schemes are different, so again,
different brands cant easily talk to each other.
In the case of DMT, the problem is the chipsets. All chipsets comply with
the DMT standard but they may not be interoperable. With all the DSLAM
vendors providing central office equipment, customers currently need to
know which modem will work with their service providers DSLAMs.

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Can We Talk?
Thats the real question. The answer depends on the particular vendor providing
your telephone company with ADSL equipment. And this is how 3Com differentiates itself from other equipment manufacturers. 3Com has the strongest
interoperability, compatibility, and cost of ownership story among all vendors.
Thats neither hype nor bias. Its fact.
By design and proven through interoperability testing, 3Com ADSL technology
and products will be compatible with the most popular DMT chipsets from
companies like Alcatel and ADI. In other words, no matter what RBOCs, CLECs
or ILECs use in their DSLAM, if ADSL subscribers buy 3Com ADSL products,
theyll be interoperable with the installed DMT-based DSLAM at the CO.

ConclusionAvoid Getting Boxed In

Its unnecessary for end users to experience the confusion about ADSL standards, the complexity of the current interoperability issues, and the challenge of
buying an ADSL modem that matches the technology of your local service
providers DSLAM. 3Com has always incorporated open systems and has
designed its ADSL products with complete interoperability in mind to make the
technical complexities transparent. Our products are more than standardscompliant, theyre interoperable with other solutions when standards arent
enough.

Getting Started with ADSL

For more information about DSL or the availability of 3Com DSL products, call
us at 1-800-NET-3COM or visit the 3Com DSL website at URL:
http://www.3com.com/solutions/dsl. It is an excellent source of DSL product,
service availability, and over all technology information.
In addition, the ADSL Forum and the UAWG maintain informative sites about
the status of ADSL and its deployment worldwide. The URLs for both sites are
http://www.adsl.com and http://www.uawg.com respectively. Check those sites
for ADSL service availability in your area as well as the websites of your Bell
Operating Company or CLEC in your area.

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Glossary
2B1Q Two-binary, One-Quaternary : A line coding technique used for multiple versions of symmetric DSL. It
uses a technique that compresses two binary bits of data into one time state as a four-level code.
ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line: A next-generation modem technology that allows up to 8Mbps
downstream and 1Mbps upstream.
Agent or SNMP Agent Management code that resides in the device, controls the operation of the device,
and responds to SNMP requests issued by one or more NMSs; the agent can also issue unsolicited SNMP
traps (event messages) to one or more NMSs.
ANSI American National Standards Institute: One of the key standards bodies involved with DSL
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode: A high-speed communications protocol used for transferring voice,
video and data in a fixed length cell format of 53 bytes. ATM scales easily and speeds typically range from
25 Mbps to OC-192. (10 Gigabits per second).
CAP Carrierless Amplitude Phase Modulation: A pre-standard line modulation technique based on 2B1Q
used for ADSL or SDSL.
CLEC Competitive Local Exchange Carrier: A service provider that competes with the local RBOC or
Incumbent Local Exchange Service Provider (ILEC).
CLI Command Line Interface: A text based way of configuring devices. (Contrasted to a GUI Graphical
User Interface).
CPE Customer Premise Equipment: A piece of Equipment that sits in a customers home or business
location.
Craft Interface or Craft Port An interface based upon an RS232 port, asynchronous ASCII, and a command
line interface used for direct access to the element by a technician. The connection can be either direct or
via a modem.
Crosstalk The effect of transmission signals on a copper wire on another wire in physical close proximity.
In all cases, crosstalk has negative impact on transmission signals.
DLC Digital Loop Carrier: A device the phone company uses to extend the reach of the phone service to
business parks and remote locations. These are typically the large green boxes sitting next to the curb in
office parks and developments.
DMT Discrete Multi-Tone: The standards-approved line modulation technique for ADSL.
Dry Copper

A term used to describe copper telephone lines that are installed but currently not used.

DSLAM Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer: The piece of equipment that resides in a central office
that concentrates all remote DSL lines into a single terminating point or device.
DWDM Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing: A technology that combines data from different sources on
an optical fiber. With each light wavelength carrying 2.5 Gbps, an optical fiber can deliver up to 200 Gbps.
EMS Element Management System: Sometimes used synonymously with Network Management System.
FTP File Transfer Protocol: A file transfer protocol typically used for uploading and downloading of files
and operational code.
GUI Graphical User Interface: A graphical and mouse-oriented interface used for configuring devices.
(Contrasted to a CLI - Command Line Interface).
HDSL High Bit Rate Digital Subscriber Line: A mature, medium-speed, symmetric technology. Its often used
to implement T1 data circuits over phone lines. HDSL requires two pairs of wire for transmitting and
receiving.
IDSL ISDN Digital Subscriber Line: A DSL flavor that uses 2B1Q line coding on ISDN basic rate circuits. It is
used for data applications only and typically operates up to 144 Kbps.
ILEC Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier: This is another term for the telephone company that has been
offering local POTS service in a geographic territory. For many people their ILEC is the same as their RBOC
or baby bell.

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ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network: A digital telephony network that provides end-to-end
digital connectivity to support a wide range of services, including voice and data.
ISA Industry Standard Architecture PC Bus Interface. The connection interface in a Personal
Computer for addition of 3rd party devices such as modems or network interface cards.
ISP

Internet Service Provider: A company that provides access to the Internet.

ITU International Telecommunication Union: The international standards body that helps and
defines emerging standards.
IXC Inter-Exchange Carrier: A service provider that transports voice, video and data between RBOC
territories. Typically considered a long distance carrier.
Loop or Local Loop The term used to describe the copper wires that run between the central office
and the customers business or home.
MDF Main Distribution Frame. Central point where all local loops terminate in the CO.
NIC Network Interface Card (Internal PC Card): A card in a personal computer that connects this
device to a Local Area Network.
NID Network Interface Device: The (typically) gray box attached to the side of your home or office
that marks the point of demarcation between the service provider and your business or home.
NMS Network Management System: (sometimes used synonymously with EMS but usually means an
application that manages a network of multiple devices, including those from multiple vendors).
OAM (&P) Operations, Administration, Management and (Provisioning): Refers to ATM-specific
diagnostic flows used to test/troubleshoot switching systems.
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect PC Bus Interface: The connection interface in a Personal
Computer for addition of 3rd party devices such as modems or NICs.
POTS Plain Old Telephone Service: The term used for traditional voice service over copper wire.
PSTN Packet Switched Telephone Network: The telephone network that connects the worlds
telephones together.
PTT Post, Telephone, and Telegraph administration: The generic name usually used to refer to state
owned telephone companies in Latin America, Europe and Asia.
RADSL Rate Adaptive ADSL: ADSL that automatically adapts speed to line conditions. Some CAP
implementations were RADSL. All DMT standard implementations are RADSL.
RBOC Regional Bell Operating Company: The term used for the leading telephone service providers
in North America. These include Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, SBC and US West.
ROBO Remote Office / Branch Office:
corporate facility or LAN.

The term used to define an office externally connected to a

SDSL Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line: Is used often for symmetric T1/E1 speeds of 1.544/2.048
Mbps. SDSL makes an ideal and cost effective replacement for T1 service.
SLP

Suggested List Price

SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol:

management.

A standards-based protocol used for basic device

SOHO Small Office / Home Office: A term used to describe a 1- or 2-person office or an office that
someone has setup in his or her home.
3Com and OfficeConnect
are registered trademarks
and x2 is a trademark of
3Com Corporation. All
other company and
product names may be
trademarks of the
respective companies
with which they are
associated.

SONET Synchronous Optical Network: An ANSI standard for high capacity optical telecommunications with a maximum line rate of 9.953 Gbps. Today, it is the premier backbone transmission
technology for leading carriers.
TFTP Trivial File Transfer Protocol: A file transfer protocol typically used for uploading and
downloading of files and operational code.
VDSL Very High-speed Digital Subscriber Line: Is a future technology to watch. It supports dedicated high speeds (10 Mbps to 50 Mbps) over short distances up to 4,000 feet or 1.2 Km.
WAN Wide Area Network. A term used to describe the connection of a LAN over a public or private
network to another remote location with a LAN.

16

3Com Corporation
P.O. Box 58145
5400 Bayfront Plaza
Santa Clara, CA
95052-8145
Phone: 1 800 NET 3Com
or 1 408 326 5000
Fax: 408 326 5001
World Wide Web:
www.3com.com
3Com Americas International
U.S. Headquarters (serving
Canada and Latin America)
Phone: 1 408 326 2093/ 1 408
326 6075
Fax: 1 408 326 5730/
1 408 326 8914
Miami
Phone: 1 305 461 8400
Fax: 1 305 461 8401/02
3Com Canada
Burlington
Phone: 905 336 8168
Fax: 905 336 7380
Calgary
Phone: 403 265 3266
Fax: 403 265 3268
Edmonton
Phone: 403 423 3266
Fax: 403 423 2368
Montreal
Phone: 514 683 3266
Fax: 514 683 5122
Ottawa
Phone: 613 566 7055
Fax: 613 233 9527
Toronto
Phone: 416 498 3266
Fax: 416 498 1262
Vancouver
Phone: 604 434 3266
Fax: 604 434 3264
3Com Latin America
Argentina (serving Argentina,
Paraguay, and Uruguay )
Phone: 541 312 3266
Fax: 541 314 3329
Brazil
Phone: 55 11 246 5001
Fax: 55 11 246 3444
Chile (serving Bolivia, Chile, and
Peru)
Phone: 562 240 6200
Fax: 562 240 6231

Colombia
Phone: 57 1 629 4110
Fax: 57 1 629 4503
Mexico
Phone: 52 5 520 7841
Fax: 52 5 520 7837
Peru
Phone: 51 1 221 5399
Fax: 51 1 221 5499
Venezuela
Phone: 582 267 5550
Fax: 582 267 3373
Asia Pacific Rim
Melbourne, Australia
Phone: 61 3 9934 8888
Fax: 61 3 9934 8880
Sydney, Australia
Phone: 61 2 9937 5000
Fax: 61 2 9956 6247
Beijing, China
Phone: 8610 68492568
Fax: 8610 68492789
Shanghai, China
Phone: 86 21 6350 1581
Fax: 86 21 6350 1531
Hong Kong
Phone: 852 2501 1111
Fax: 852 2537 1149
India
Phone: 91 11 644 3974
Fax: 91 11 623 3192
Indonesia
Phone: 62 21 572 2088
Fax: 62 21 572 2089
Osaka, Japan
Phone: 81 6 536 3303
Fax: 81 6 536 3304
Tokyo, Japan
Phone: 0120 31 3266
(toll free from Japan)
Phone: 81 3 5977 3266
Fax: 81 3 5977 3370
Korea
Phone: 82 2 3455 6300
Fax: 82 2 319 4710
Malaysia
Phone: 60 3 715 1333
Fax: 60 3 715 2333
New Zealand
Phone: 64 9 366 9138
Fax: 64 9 366 9139
Phillippines
Phone: 632 892 4476
Fax: 632 811 5493

Singapore
Phone: 65 538 9368
Fax: 65 538 9369
Taiwan
Phone: 886 2 2 377 5850
Fax: 886 2 2 377 5860
Thailand
Phone: 662 231 8151 5
Fax: 662 231 8158
3Com Austria
Phone: 43 1 580 17 0
Fax: 43 1 580 17 20
3Com Benelux B.V.
Belgium
Phone: 32 2 725 0202
Fax: 32 2 720 1211
Netherlands
Phone: 31 346 58 62 11
Fax: 31 346 58 62 22
3Com Eastern Europe/CIS
Bulgaria
Phone: 359 2 962 5222
Fax: 359 2 962 4322
Czech Republic
Phone: 420 2 21845 800
Fax: 420 2 21845 811
Hungary
Phone: 36 1 250 83 41
Fax: 36 1 250 83 47
Poland
Phone: 48 22 6451351
Fax: 48 22 6451352
Russia
Phone: 7 095 258 09 40
Fax: 7 095 258 09 41
Slovak Republic
Phone: 421 7 317 850
Fax: 421 7 317 849
3Com France
Phone: 33 1 69 86 68 00
Fax: 33 1 69 07 11 54
3Com GmbH
Munich, Germany
Phone: 49 89 627320
Fax: 49 89 627 32 233

3Com Italia S.p.A.

Milan, Italy
Phone: 39 2 253011
Fax: 39 2 27304244
Rome, Italy
Phone: 39 6 5279941
Fax: 39 6 52799423
3Com Middle East
Phone: 971 4 319533
Fax: 971 4 316766
3Com Nordic AB
Denmark
Phone: 45 48 10 50 00
Fax: 45 48 10 50 50
Finland
Phone: 358 9 435 420 67
Fax: 358 9 455 51 66
Norway
Phone: 47 22 58 47 00
Fax: 47 22 58 47 01
Sweden
Phone: 46 8 587 05 600
Fax: 46 8 587 05 601
3Com Southern Africa
Phone: 27 11 807 4397
Fax: 27 11 803 7405
3Com Switzerland
Phone: 41 844 833 933
Fax: 41 844 833 934
3Com UK Ltd.
Edinburgh
Phone: 44 131 240 2900
Fax: 44 131 240 2903
Ireland
Phone: 353 1 823 5000
Fax: 353 1 823 5001
Manchester
Phone: 44 161 873 7717
Fax: 44 161 873 8053
Winnersh
Phone: 44 1189 27 8200
Fax: 44 1189 695555

3Com Iberia
Portugal
Phone: 351 1 3404505
Fax: 351 1 3404575
Spain
Phone: 34 1 509 69 00
Fax: 34 1 307 79 82

To learn more about 3Com products and services, visit our World Wide Web site at www.3com.com. 3Com Corporation is a
publicly traded corporation (Nasdaq: COMS).
Copyright 1999 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. 3Com, the 3Com logo and OfficeConnect are registered trademarks of
3Com Corporation. More connected and x2 are trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be
trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. All specifications are subject to change without notice.
Printed in the U.S.A. on recycled paper.
503042-001

4/99

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