ATIS Undertakes Broadband Telecommunications Protection Research Project

Impact of protection techniques on ADSLx and VDSLx targeted

August 29, 2007, Washington, DC ─ ATIS announced today that its Network Interface, Power, and Protection Committee (NIPP)’s Network Electrical Protection subcommittee (NIPP-NEP) is planning a project to outline industry concerns related to the effects of surge protection techniques on ADSLx and VDSLx services in terms of signal degradation. The concerns are with regard to the effects of primary and secondary surge protection components on signal integrity, transmission reach, and effective data rates. The new NIPP-NEP project seeks to collect information on the impact of primary and secondary protection on these new transmission technologies to ensure that service providers can utilize appropriate primary protection – and that manufacturers can develop equipment that is not degraded by the addition of secondary protection.

“As the telecom industry continues to expand and extend its communication capabilities beyond the original 56k modems bandwidths, the chipset drivers become more sensitive to line conditions,” explains Phillip Havens, Member of Technical Staff and Telcom Segment Engineering Manager, Littelfuse and chair of the ATIS NIPP-NEP subcommittee. “The use of solid-state protectors and polymer-based resettable PTC devices in the loop may negatively impact these line conditions and must be carefully considered so that their implementation does not degrade broadband signal drivers such as ADSL2, VDSL2, and 100/1000BaseT. Participating in the new NIPP-NEP project is a chance to be involved in forefront research on these critical issues.”

NIPP-NEP is seeking to collect data and other pertinent information from manufacturers of ADSLx/VDSLx equipment, protection components manufacturers, service providers and other interested parties and is inviting industry participation in its efforts. As data is collected and analyzed, more formalized research may be defined. For more information on how to participate in the NIPP-NEP research project, contact Veronica Lancaster at ATIS at vlancaster@atis.org or telephone at (202) 434-8826.

About the ATIS NIPP Committee

The activities of the ATIS Network Interface, Power, and Protection Committee (NIPP) include, but are not limited to, developing standards and technical reports covering the following areas: network interfaces, power, electrical protection, and physical protection.

The NIPP-NEP subcommittee develops system-level Standards and Technical Reports relating to the electrical protection of telecommunications networks. The scope of NIPP-NEP includes, but is not limited to, system-level electrical protection of telecommunications networks, including wireline, optical and wireless networks. Electrical stresses may include system-level electrostatic discharge (ESD) criteria for central office equipment, lightning and ac power influences, electromagnetic interference (EMI), and electro-magnetic pulse (EMP). Electrical protection methods may include equipotential bonding, grounding, and the application of electrical protection devices. Network facilities covered include telecommunications central offices, switching centers and similar type facilities, outside plant such as aerial, buried and underground wire and cable, and network plant at entrances to customer structures or buildings. For more information on the committee, visit http://www.atis.org/0050/nep.asp

About ATIS

ATIS is a leading standards development and technical planning organization committed to rapidly developing and promoting technical and operations standards for the communications and related information technologies industry worldwide using a pragmatic, flexible and open approach. Participants from more than 300 communications companies are active in ATIS’ 22 industry committees, Incubator Solutions Programs, and other activities. www.atis.org