TI sends up another DSL standard for test flight

Citing the incompatibility between VDSL and ADSL as one factor, Texas Instruments this week is unveiling a new technology that it believes will become a more palatable standard for carriers deploying video services over copper infrastructure.

Uni-DSL, or UDSL will offer carriers the ability to send data and/or video up to 6000 feet, though not at the maximum speed. The company also is quoting "an aggregate speed" of 200 Mb/s, meaning carriers ultimately will have the option to provide a 100 Mb/s symmetrical service, a 150 Mb/s downstream/50 Mb/s upstream service or any combination therein. Additionally, because it’s based on the same brand of discrete multi-tone line coding as several previous DSL standards, UDSL will be backward compatible, said Peter Chow, CTO with TI’s DSL Technology Center.

"There are some limitations to VDSL and one is that it’s not backward compatible with ADSL," he said. "Also, while it’s more symmetric that ADSL it’s not really a symmetric service."

Backers of UDSL, like those in the VDSL camp, say providing such high bandwidth will be necessary if carriers are to provide high-definition TV, which currently requires around 10 Mb/s per channel. VDSL chip vendors, however, have a time to market lead, and are just beginning to ship chip sets that enable 100 Mb/s downstream and 50 Mb/s upstream to vendors for use in select Asian markets. Additionally, the VDSL2 standard, which TI has become very active in shaping, is near completion with products hitting the market early next year.

"By coming in with more than 20 contributions to VDSL2 it sends a pretty strong message not only to our customers, but to our competitors," said Chow.

UDSL, which is just being proposed to various standards bodies now won’t be hitting the streets in product form until 2006.