GoDigital Extends POTS Data Services to 20 Miles

By: John Spofford

Fremont, CA–based GoDigital Telecommunications Inc. has extended the reach of ISDN services with the GDSL BRI-3 product line. The BRI-3 system provides up to three lines of basic rate ISDN or ISDN digital subscriber line (IDSL) service over a single voice grade copper pair, to distances exceeding 20 miles (120,000 ft).

IT managers are relying on high-speed data networking services to provision Internet access to the office, and to interconnect the LANs of branch offices with headquarters. While T-1 links and frame relay services currently fill this void, these services use special connections and are expensive.

Emerging technologies such as digital subscriber line (xDSL) are expected to lower costs by making use of existing phone wiring. A challenge with xDSL, however, is to reach all subscribers with the bandwidth they need over the current in-place copper plant. Given the lack of range of these services—usually 18,000 ft—copper-based xDSL technology are unlikely to reach more than half of the current telephone network subscriber base for many years.

Extends range of data over phone wiring
The GDSL BRI-3 system overcomes these shortcomings, GoDigital claims. With its 120,000-ft range, virtually all telephone network users are within reach. More bandwidth (up to 544 Kbps) can be delivered to subscribers at far longer ranges and in conjunction with already-tariffed ISDN service standards as well as new IDSL service options.

ISDL was originally conceived by Ascend Communications as a data-only symmetric service at 128 Kbps with a range of 18,000 ft over a single twisted copper pair, or essentially ISDN without the voice signaling. It is compatible with most of the commercially available 2B1Q band ISDN BRI terminal adapters, bridges, and routers.

The BRI-3 system can drop all three ISDN/IDSL lines at the far end of a long loop or lines can be dropped individually along the way in an add/drop configuration. Like ISDN or IDSL, the GDSL technology uses 2B1Q line code, which does not interfere with other distribution options such as T-1.

GoDigital Telecommunications Inc., Tel: 510-226-8289, Fax: 510-226-8785