IEEE Pacific R i m Conference on Communications, Computers and Signal Processing
June 1st - 2nd. 1989
SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF A RATE-ADAPTIVE
DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LOOP (RA-DSL) TRANSMISSION METHOD
A. Shen*, W.D. Grover, W.A. & d e n *
Alberta TelecommunicationsResearch Centre
200,4245 - 97 Street
Edmooton, Alberta T6E 5Y4
ABSTRACT This paper presents selected results from a simulation
study aimed towards improvements in the use of subscriber loop plant for
digital transmission through adaptive bt rate transceivers for ISDN
applications. The results show that even with transceiver structures as used
for basic rate access, operating in the presence of residual echoes, near-
end crosstalk and white noise, it is possible to achieve bit rates up to 1.5
Mb/s over loops up to 1 km long and with bt rates reduced to 50 kb/s a
reach of 7.5 km is easily achievable. The paper also describes the principle
of operation and circuit design of an experimental rate-adaptive hardware
implementation,
1. Introduction
Currently available basic rate access Integrated Services Digital
Network (ISDN) transceivers implement fullduplex transmission at a fixed
rate of 160 kb/s over single twisted-pair wire lines between subscribers and
the core network. These transceivers are supposed to perform
satisfactorily (with bit-error-rates less than lo-') over all possible
configurations of subscriber loops in the distance range of 0 to 5.5 km[l].
However, the channel capacity estimates of subscriber lines [2]
indicate that this capacity varies considerably within the indicated distance
range, and for short loops significantly exceeds 1 Mb/s. Consequently,
ubiquitous deployment of basic access ISDN at its fixed rate of 160 kb/s
will imply considerable under-utilization of the subscriber loop plant. The
recently proposed wideband digital subscriber access at 800 kb/s over a
reduced range [3] will improve this situation, but still will not utilize the
transmission potential of individual subscriber loops to their fullest extent. A
solution to this problem has been recently suggested [4] in which the bit
rate of a digital subscriber loop transceiver is made adaptive to the channel
capacity of the subscriber loop on which it operates.
In this paper we report the results of a simulation study which
investigates possible improvements in the utilization of subscriber loop
plant due to the deployment of adaptive bit rate transceivers. The details of
the architecture of the transceivers used in the study, configurations of the
considered loops, types of noise introduced in the simulated loop
transmission system and the simulation results are presented in the next
section. Section 111 describes the principle of operation and circuit design
of an experimental rate-adaptive hardware implementation, The last section
contains conclusions and suggestions of applications for bit-rate-adaptive
DSL (RA-DSL) technology.
II. Simulation Study and Selected Results
A conventional structure of a duplex subscriber loop transceiver, such
as used in ISDN basic access terminals utilizing the echo cancellation
method of achieving duplex communication, was assumed in our
simulation study. A simplified block diagram of this transceiver is shown in
Fig. 1. The electronic hybrid circuit with a three-branch balance network[5]
provides at least 15 dB of transhybrid attenuation of the local echo for all 25
loops of different lengths and configurations used in the study. The local
echo is suppressed by an echo canceller which in our simulations was
assumed to provide 40 dB reduction of the echo level.
The multiple response (MR) fixed preequalizer with transfer function
P(z) = 1-2.' is normally introduced in the receiver path to reduce the length
of the tail of the impulse response of the system, which reduces the
required complexity of the echo canceller and the decision-feedback
equalizer (DFE). We find that the fast rising edge of the impulse response
eliminates the necessity of linear equalization of precursors in the sampled
impulse response in addition to the DFE for postcursors. Simulations were
performed for transmissions over 25 different subscriber loops representing
average loop configurations for each of 25 length ranges (increasing in 300
m increments) up to the maximum length of 7.5 km. These representative
loops were designed using the data of the Bell System loop statistics (61.
The transmission mat& approach was used to describe the subscriber
lines for the purpose of the simulation. The ABCD elements of the matrices
for different uniform sections of the lines (Including bridged taps) at all
necessary frequencies were obtained from the values of the primary
* with the Department of Electrical Engineering,
AISO
Univcrsity of Alberta.
(382691-4/89-0000-36
parameters (R, L, G. C) of the respective sections at these frequencies. The
transmission matrices for different required configurations of the loops were
obtained by cascading appropriate component matrices representing
uniform sections.
Impulse responses of the signal paths (including loops) were obtained
by applying inverse FFT's to the loop transfer functions determined from the
transmission matrix description. Samples of the received signals were
calculated by convolving these impulse responses with input symbols.
Echo, white noise and near-end crosstalk were added to the received signal
as shown in Fig. 2. The sampling phase of the echo impulse response was
chosen to maximize the echo level (worst case approach). An ideal echo
canceller was modelled by attenuating the echo before adding it to the
signal. The level of attenuation (echo cancellation) chosen was 40 dB. The
near-end crosstalk was modelled as Gaussian with f'.5 spectral shaping.
The decision-feedback equalizer used in the system had 20 taps which
were adapted using the LMS algorithm.
Results: Bit-error rates (BER's) in transmissions at different symbol
rates over 25 average subscriber loops were evaluated using the Monte
Carlo method. The importance sampling approach did not seem feasible
because of the non-Gaussian character of the disturbing echo and the non-
linearity of the DFE. BER curves versus symbd rate for two sample loops
are shown in Fig. 3. These curves indicate that operation at symbd rates
much higher than basic rate (80 kbaud with 2B1Q encoding) is possible at
low bit error rates and over considerable distances. Our other results show
that for very short loops (< 1 km) primary rate (1544 kb/s) duplex
transmission is possible at BER's lower than lo6. On the other hand, for
long loops (7.5 km) transmission at a reduced rate of 50 kb/s (25 kbaud) is
possible at similar levels of BER. Fig. 4 is a plot of threshold symbol rate
(BER = versus loop length for a sampling of representative loop
models. These data clearly show the principle which RA-DSL is designed to
exploit.
111. Experimental Rate Adaptive DSL Hardware
In conjunction with simulation studies of loop capacity involving
realistic noise, crosstalk, equalization and echo cancellation models, we are
developing hardware which implements automatic adaptive variable-rate
digital transmission over ATRC's captive subscriber loop facility [7]. The
RA-DSL prototype uses simplified equalization and echo cancellation.
Experimental methods are used for this work because addition of rate-
adaptation to the transmission modelling creates an infeasible simulation
problem a present. The prototype also permits field tests which we plan to
conduct in conjunctionwith one of our allied operating companies.
Our RA-DSL hardware design comprises multi-rate transmission, clock
recovery, equalization, regeneration and other circuits which are under
processor control of a protocol that automatically determines the highest
bidirectional transmission rate with a specified reserve power margin.
ATRC's idea for a rate-adaptive subscriber loop transmission method and
protocol originated in Dec. 1987. The control protocol was first studied by
discrete-event simulation in the summer of 1988. Now a Phase 1 hardware
prototype Is operational over the 19:l frequency range from 80 Kb/s
(lB+D) to 1.552 Mb/s (24B+D). Patents have been filed on both the circuit
architecture and adaptation protocols.
Background
The usual orientation to the DSL Is to consider a fked transmission
rate and seek methods of equalization and/or coding to maximize the reach
achievable at that bit rate. We take the view however that every individual
subscriber loop presents a unlque fixed-length transmission problem and
seek means to automatically determine and operate at the highest safe
common bidirectional transmission rate for the individual loop. Our
motivation is recognition that businesses are the first customers for ISDN
and that their premises are frequently doser to a CO than the 5.5 km DSL
reach limits. Because there often is a shortage of installed copper pairs in
downtown areas, we think better use of existing short reach loops will be
possible with a maximumcapacity orientation instead of the usual
maximum-reach design approach.
$1.00 0 1989 IEEE
 Many parameters are placed under adaptive control in modern digital
transmission systems. Adaptive equalization and echo cancellation are the
most common focus of attention in the DSL problem. In other problems
adaptive power control [8] and adaptive coding rate or coding method [9]
have been reported. [lo] described a "Variable-Rate Digital Modern' for
satellite applications but contemplates a modem that can be operated at a
number of fixed rates for various different product applications. Circuits
such as in [ l o ] are analogous to the multiple-frequencysubcircuils which we
use in RA-DSL.
Closer in motivation to the present work are [ I l l . 1121 which consider
rate adaptation for data-transmission applications in fading radio channels
and in voiceband modem data channels. In [ l l ] , [12] however it is not
required that each direction of the link work at the same bit rate and it is
permissible to buffer applications traffic and insert control data packets
whenever necessary. The data applications environment can rely on
retransmission methods if a packet is not received correctly. By
comparison the DSL rate adaptation problem requires that once the rate-
adapted loop is put into service, physical BER objectives are guaranteed.
both directions of the loop must operate at the same rate, and applications
must receive a true circuit service which cannot be interrupted (either in B
or D channels) for any reason by the rate-adaptation process. Voiceband
modem applications such as [ l l ] also use DSP-intensive sub-carrier
methods which are not yet applicable at the 1.5 Mb/s rates inherent in our
objectives for RA-DSL. In addition we expect it will remain cost-
advantageous to use baseband methods rather than subcarrier methods
even if DSP was fast enough to process a 2 MHz bandwidth. For these
reasons our approach to RA-DSL is quite different from already reported
methods for rate-adaptivedata-transmission applications.
RA-DSL Hardware and Protocol
In the receive direction the RA-DSL hardware is comprised of:
a) an adaptive equalizer capable of functioning over a range of clock rates,
b) a wide-acquisition-range, ambiguity-free clock recovery,
c) programmable demultiplexer or stat-mux interface,
d) a programmable attenuator for use during adaptation,
e) framing and fast BER evaluation circuits,
f) AGC circuit with means to produce "signal present" indication,
g) a frequency analyzer for determining the currently received symbol rate.
In the transmit direction the RA-DSL hardware is comprised of:
a) a programmable output attenuator,
b) transmit encoding logic and line driving circuits operable over a range of
frequencies,
c) programmable input mux or stat mux input buffer,
d) a programmable transmit frequency synthesizer and pattern generator.
A simplified partial description of our protocd for RA-DSL is as follows:
Rate adaptation is applied only during installation or subsequent periods
where the link is not in use. The adaptation phase may take several
seconds and is intended to be followed by an long period of multi-channel
in-service operation. Any time one or the other end of the RA-DSL
operates at previously used settings and continues transmitting at that rate,
the other end will transmit back at the same previous working frequency
and the adaptation protocol accepts this rate of operation. However, an
external request may be given at either end of the RA-DSL to trigger
adaptation of the transmission rate (by a host PBX, by an installer or by the
CO). The end which directly receives the request to
play the originalor role. The other end inherently follows the responder part
of the protocol. The originator acts as a master and the responder as its
slave in a procedure which searches for the highest safe bidirectional
transmission rate on that loop. The complete protocol is identical at each
end (ie. each end has the ability to play either role.) It is a stimulus type
protocd with all events defined in terms of local line and hardware states.
The protocd proceeds without need of any initial communications channel
between the two ends.
Two techniques for searching out the highest safe bidirectional
operating rate have been considered in detail. The simpler method is called
linear downstepping. After describing RA-DSL with linear downstepping. a
more efficient modified binary section frequency search will be outlined.
The role of programmable attenuators will also be deferred to after the
basic explanation.
The originator begins adaptation by de-energizing the line for a defined
minimum time. The responder shuts off its transmitter any time it does not
receive a signal. In the linear downstepping method the originator switches
back on, transmitting a valid (pseudo-random) data pattern at the maximum
rate used in the system, say 1.5 Mb/s (248 +D). If at any time the
responder is able to recover clock from a signal on the line, it will energize
its own transmitter and send either a dummy signal or a valid signa, at the
37
same frequency as is received. The dummy signal provides a
representative local source of NEXT interference and echo residual for the
receiver of the responder but it contains a pattern that cannot be framed on
by the receiver of the originator. In comparison, the valid signal is an
electrically and logically compatible signal that meets all receiver acquistion
requirements .
The responder sends the dummy signal at a frequency matching the
frequency of any receive signal whenever clock recovery locks but local
framing and BER circuits are not acquired. At any time when AGC, clock
recovery, framing and BER circuits are all simultaneously acquired (a state
called RxOK), the responder switches to transmission of valid signal to the
originator at the current receive frequency.
Any time during linear downstepping that the rate sent by the
originator is not viable on the subject link, the responder can not generate
the internal conditions necessary to give the local RxOK indication.
Consequently the originators own receiver also does not show RxOK
because it is not receiving a valid signal. At each test frequency the
originator waits a predetermined time. If the originator does not generate a
local RxOK state during the wait it steps down in transmit frequency to the
next lower rate and repeats the procedure.
If transmission is viable at some rate on the subject link, the originator
will eventually have stepped down to a frequency at which RxOK arises at
the responder, implying successful transmission at the current rate in at
least one direction of the link. The reverse direction does not in general
have the same transmission or noise Characteristics however, so the
originator's receiver may still not produce the RxOK indication. The
originator therefore continues stepping down in rate until, during one such
transmit and wait interval, its own RxOK is satisfied. When RxOK arises in
the originators receiver, the following conditions have been satisfied:
a) the downstream transmission link is Operating below the target BER at
the current rate:
b) the upstream transmission link direction is operating at the same
frequency and is also meeting BER requirements for this phase of
adaptation;
c) the current transmission rate is directly verified to be the highest
common rate of successful transmission in upstream and downstream
directions;
d) the operating frequency corresponds to an integer number of B-
channels, or other discrete unit of capacity.
Margin Reservation : It would be hazardous in general to enter into service
at the conditions resulting after the adaptation as described so far because
the system is at the edge of its performance limits and is therefore
vulnerable to drift in channel characteristics or changes in noise and
crosstalk. The RA-DSL process therefore incorporates a reserve power
margin by conducting the above protocd in the presence of attenuators
which are introduced at the start of the protocol and removed afterwards.
This approach is also exploited to reduce adaptation time by using
relatively high BER thresholds in the active frequency hunting phase, say
When the attenuators are switched out the exact BER will be
uncertain but generally lower than requirements objectives if an adequate
reserve margin was specified in the adaptation phase.
The protocol also includes means to recognize termination of the hunt; to
switch out the attenuators when appropriate; to verify the unattenuated
performance, and to switch from self-sourced pattern data to the customer
data source. Fig. 5 shows early experimental results obtained with our RA-
DSL protocol and experimental hardware using a simplified receiver circuit
with a 3 dB margin reservation and a l o 4 BER threshdd during adaptation.
An alternative to the use of attenuators is to conduct the adaptation
process with an associated equalized eye-opening criterion in the RxOK
status indication (strictly a decision margin criterion when DFE is used). An
eye-opening monitor is a circuit which implements such a criterion using
two regenerative decision devices. One decision device uses the nominal
decision threshold after equalization while the other uses an offset decision
voltage. The reference voltage of the offset detector is controlled by a
feedback loop which measures BER and forces the offset decision
threshold to a value where an artificially high target BER (say l o 3 ) results in
the offset decision device. The voltage difference between the nominal
threshold and the offset threshdd is a direct electronic measure of eye-
opening. While more complex than attenuators the advantage of an eye-
monitor is that it reserves true decision margin as opposed to strictly a
power margin, which does not relate directly to BER degradation unless
operating in a power limited mode and this is not usually true for the DSL
application.
Binary Sectlon Frequency Search An advantage of the linear downstepping
approach is that it is bound to find the highest possible rate even if non-
monotonic BER vs transmission rate characteristics were to exist. A
disadvantage is that it requires relatively long times for adaptation if the
threshold transmission rate is low. because it proceeds as a linear search.
In practice we use a more efficient modified binary section method to
search for the highest bidirectional rate at which transmission is acceptable
(the threshold rate). This leads to identification of the threshold rate in not
more than 5 successive trials for the 24 possible rates in our RA-DSL
prototype. Fig. 6 shows predicted convergence times for a RA-DSL using
modifed binary section as a function of the round-trip threshold rate in
number of M, kb/s channels. This calculation sums the absolute time spent
at each node as the search tree is travelled out to each value on the
abscissa assuming that a waiting time expressed as a constant number of
symbols (10,000) is used for the dwell on each candidate rate and that
2B1Q encoding is used for a symbol rate of 32 ksymbols/sec for each B-
channel increment. The constant number of symbols in the test time
waiting criterion accounts for the l / x - like drop off in total searching time
for the higher frequency solutions. If a constant waiting time criterion is
used with binary section, the result is a nearly uniform adaptation time at
approximately four times the basic test interval.
Crosstalk Considerations: The RA-DSL signal can have greater spectral
occupancy than normal ISDN systems and therefore crosstalk seems at
first to be a major concern. Crosstalk must be considered from two
viewpoints: a) effects of an RA-DSL on conventional systems and, b)
increased susceptibility of an RA-DSL system to crosstalk. We expect that
RA-DSL systems will not penalize existing fixed-rate systems more than
crosstalk from systems of the same type because RA-DSL does not
increase the power spectral densify of the signal in the bands admitted by
receivers of conventional systems.
Although RA-DSL spreads energy into bands where crosstalk coupling
increases, as long as conventional systems band-limit to optimize for their
intended rates of operation then such systems will admit no more total
interference than they would from neighbouring systems of their own type.
In fact an RA-DSL design with the same total power as a standard design
may result in lower than normal crosstalk because power densities are
lower than normal in the crosstalk pass-band of the standard systems.
An RA-DSL system will however have to accept greater crosstalk
interference when it increases its operating rate. This is unavoidable but it
is addressed both by the adaptive nature of the RA-DSL interface and by
the user-specifiable reserve power margin that is provided. If after an initial
adaptation crosstalk or other sources of noise increased so that the BER
suffered during operation then one would schedule a re-adaptation
specifying possibly greater margin reservation, a smaller maximum number
of channels, or simply commanding re-adaptation within the new noise
environment. To avoid ever being forced to reduce capacity once in
service, one simply uses an appropriately conservative initial value for
reserve margin.
IV. Conclusions
We have described ATRC's current research towards a rate-adaptive
digital subscriber loop technology. Simulation studies are providing data to
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predict the service capacities that are eventually obtainable and an
experimental prototype is proving the principle of RA-DSL with a simplified
receiver implementation. The RA-DSL concept may help boost the
penetration of ISDN by decreasing the cost per subscriber via the pair gain
that is achieved. In addition it increases the diversity of ISDN and non-ISDN
services that can be offered over today's existing access network. An RA-
DSL circuit that automatically finds and operates at the highest reliable
transmission rate of an individual loop makes the new applications and
services possible without undermining the basic obligation to provide 28 +
D service to anyone within 5.5 km of a C.O.. Among the new applications
we envisage for the rate-adaptive subscriber loop are:
1. PBX-CO trunk groups over a single pair;
2. Multi-line POTS to apartment buildings;
3. Long Reach 1B + D or 0.58 + D minimal service;
4. Stat Mux Applications;
5. Bandwidth on Demand Applications;
6. Reduced provisioning strategies.
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge the contributions of T. Fong (ATRC) and J.
Dubuc (ATRC/ed-tel) to the realization of the prototype hardware. This
work was supported by the sponsor corporations of the ATRC, by the
University of Alberta and by the Province of Alberta
References
'Integrated Services Digital Network - Basic Access Interface for Use on Metallic Loops
forApplication on the Nehvork Side of the hT - Layer 1 Specification". LCSA Document
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IEEE Pacific Rim Conference on Communications. Computers and Signal Processing.
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J.W. Lechleider, T h e Fcasibility and Advisability of a DSL Operating at Substanrially
Higher Information Rates than that of the Basic Access Interface". ECSA Document
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W D. Grover, "Multi-channel digital subscnher loop interface with automatic maximization
oftransmission capacity', ATRC Technical Repon, March 1988.
D. Dodds. Private Communicauon, June 1988.
S.V. Ahamed, "Simulation and Design Studies of Digital Suhscriher Lines", Bell Systems
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J.P. Dubuc and W.A. Krzymien. "Crosstalk characteristics of a subscriber loop modelling
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J.F. Ilayes, "Adaptive feedback communications'. IEEE Trans. Comm , vol. COM-16,
p p 29-34, Feb. 1968.
N. Shacham. "Dynamic selection of error-correcting codes in hybrid ARQ protocols". P n x
Res. Trend Spread Spectrum Syst., Vancouver, Aug 1%.
S. Otani, Y.Tanimoto, M. lwasaki et al.. "Development of a vanahle-rate digital modem
for digital satellite communication sytems", Globecom 88, Ifollywood Fla , 1988. pp. 148-
150.
Pathfinder 1BK Modem. Ven-Tel Inc.. 2121 Zanker Rd., San Jose, Calif. 95131-2177,
G.L. Stuher. J. Mark and ].Blake. "An adaptive rate algonthm for I'II/RFSK Signaling'.
IEEETrans. Comm.,vol. 36. no.12, Dec. 1988, pp.1269-1276.
I.*-' ECHO
Equalincr
Attenuation
COLOURED GAUSSIAN NOISE
Scaling
38
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I I 1 , 8 I I I I I

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\ LENGTH - CAPACITY RELATIONSHIP 4

Fig. 1 Simplified block diagram of the transceiver structure assumed in

simulation

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L L L - - - l ~ ~ 4 C l ~ ~ # ~ l ~ ~ # # # , I I ,/ ,* , , I

LOOP LENGTH ( K M )

Fig 4 Length-capacity relationship for sample loop models (simulation)

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LENGTH OF 22 GAUGE CABLE PAIR IMETERSl

Fig. 5 Experimental RA-DSL results obtained with Phase 1 ATRC

prototype

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SYMBOL RATE (KBAUD)

5 . I . 2 . 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10
. .II 1.2 .13 .14 .15 . 16 . 17 . 18. 19. x ).2 1 . 22. 23
Fig. 3 Sample BER vs. symbol rate curves 2-WAY THRESH. RATE(z64KBIT B CH'SI
a)2.26kmloop(1.42km26AWG + 0.68km24AWG + 0.16km22
AWG + 0.59 km mixed-gauge bridged rap) Fig. 6 Predicted rate-finding adaptation time for RA-DSL using modified
b) 5.28 km loop (1.59 km 25 .AwG * 9 60 t m 34 AwG + 1 00 Cm 22 binary section search and constant number of symbols per test
AWG + 0.57 km mixed gauge bridged-tap) frequency

39