Circuit Emulation in Broadband Access:
Converging TDM/Data on the Last Mile
by Tao Lang
Zarlink Semiconductor
The "last mile" has advanced into the broadband era, thanks to higher bandwidth demands from enterprise and residential customers. There are few technologies that can boast the same adoption rate as broadband access. In the 12 months to June 2004 alone, 43 million broadband lines were rolled out worldwide. More than 50% of homes in South Korea, Canada and Hong Kong have a broadband connection.
However, the broadband revolution is posing last mile challenges for today's carriers, as they juggle the need to support traditional voice and TDM services with growing demand for new packet-based applications. Circuit Emulation Services (CES)-over-Packet is one approach offering a promising solution.
Today's broadband access services are delivered through copper, fiber or radio links, using technologies such as DSL, HFC (Hybrid Fiber/Coax), PON (Passive Optical Network) and Wi-MAX (Worldwide Interoperability of Microwave Access). With data services driving increased bandwidth demand, most broadband access technologies are built on a packet platform.
While carriers roll out broadband services, they cannot ignore the lucrative revenues gained from traditional voice and TDM services. With the goal of converging all services on one access line, a TDM circuit's distinct synchronization and constant bit rate demands are incompatible with the asynchronous, "bursty" packet network.
As part of our series introducing CES-over-Packet and potential applications, this article looks at how this technology can solve last mile challenges today.
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