EETP - BSNL

GOLD
CERTIFICATION COURSE

BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY

BROADBAND OVERVIEW

VERSION 1 - JAN 2014

1
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

BROADBAND OVERVIEW
STRUCTURE
1.1 INTRODUCTION

1.2 OBJECTIVES

1.3 NIB PROJECT

1.4 BROADBAND MULTIPLAY COMPONENTS

1.5 BROADBAND NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

1.6 SALIENT FEATURES OF NETWORK

1.7 FUNCTIONS OF DSL COMPONENTS

1.8 PHYSICAL CONNECTION

1.9 FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE PHYSICAL LAYER

1.10 PHYSICAL MEDIUM INTERFACE

1.11 PHYSICAL LAYER STANDAREDS

1.12 SUMMARY

1.13 SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1.14 REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED FURTHER READINGS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Definition of broadband:

As per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Broadband is an “An always-on data
connection that is able to support interactive services, including Internet access and has the capability
of minimum download speed of 512 Kilo bits per second (kbps) to an individual subscriber from the
POINT OF Presence (POP) of the service provider intending to provide Broadband services, where
multiple”

Note: This definition for throughput may undergo upward changes in the future

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 2 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

Advantages of Broadband

 Always on ( Not on shared media) 


 Fast (speed ranging from 512 kbps to 24 Mbps) 

 No disconnection 

 No additional access charge 

 Telephone and Data simultaneously 

 Fat pipe has to be continuously supplemented with value added applications to enjoy the
advantage. 

Technological Options available to access broadband

i. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)

ii. FTTH (Fiber to the home)
iii. EVDO (Evolution of data only)
iv. Wi-MAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)
v. 3G/4G (3rd /4th Generation of Mobile Communication)

So we have both wired and wireless options to access broadband.

BSNL has setup NIB (National Internet Backbone) to provide world class data network infrastructure
to offer various value added services to a broader customer base county-wide that is helping to
accelerate the Internet revolution in India. Moreover the NIB has created a platform, which enables e-
governance, e-banking, e-learning, etc. with the key point of Service Level Agreements & Guarantee
in tune with Global standards and customer expectations. It is world class example of implementation
of Data Network of an ISP (Internet service Provider). Broadband network is designed in such a
manner so as to cover the entire country & provide DSL based services. It is a network that provides
broadband services utilizing the existing underground cable resources. This is a very cost effective
technology to provide high speed internet services to the users. Transmission of digital information
from one device to another is the basic function for the devices to be able to communicate. This
chapter describes the first layer of the OSI model, the Physical layer, which carries out this function.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 3 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
 Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

1.2 OBJECTIVE
After reading this unit, you should be able to understand:
 Objectives of setting up the NIB network 
 Various projects under NIB 
  Equipment deployed under various projects 
 Broadband Network Architecture 
 Components of Broadband Access Network 
 Salient features of the network 
 Functions of DSL components 
 Physical layer components 

1.3 NIB PROJECT

The implementation of “National Internet Backbone” involved the following projects

Name of project Description

Project 1 MPLS based IP Infrastructure
Project 2.1 Narrowband Access (Dialup Remote Access)
Project 2.2 Broadband Access (DSL Access)
Project 3 Messaging, Storage, Provisioning, Billing, Security, Order
Management, Enterprise Management, AAA, Help Desk and
Inventory Management.

NIB envisages four projects

i.) MPLS based IP Infrastructure in 100 cities (with STM-16 core).
ii.) Access Gateway platform Narrow band (Augmentation of Dial up connectivity)
iii.) Access Gateway Platform Broadband in 235 cities (Based on ADSL Technology)
iv.) Services Platform consisting of messaging, Provisioning, billing, customer care, enterprise
management system and Data centres.
v.) 100 plus location Managed IP & MPLS Network using MPLS enabled Routers
vi.) Centralized NOC and DR site for NMS & PMS.

1.3.1 OBJECTIVES OF NIB

i.) NIB is a mission to build world-class infrastructure that has helped accelerate the Internet
revolution in India.
ii.) It provides a diversified range of Internet access services including support for VPN (Layer-2,
Layer-3 and Dialup and Broadband services)
iii.) It also offers SLA Reports including security, QoS and any to any connectivity.
iv.) Offers fully managed services to customers.
v.) It offers services like bandwidth on demand etc. over the same network.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 4 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
 Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

vi.) The network is capable of on-line measurement and monitoring of network parameters such as
latency, packet loss, jitter and availability so as to support SLAs with customers
vii.) The routers support value added services such as VPNs, Web and content hosting, Voice over
IP, Multicast etc.
viii.) Value Added Services
a. Encryption Services
b. Firewall Services
c. Multicast Services
d. Network Address Translation (NAT) Service that will enable private users to access
public networks
ix.) Messaging Services
x.) Internet Data Centre Services at Metropolitan cities.
xi.) Broad Band Services
a. Broadcast TV using IP Multicasting service
b. Multicast video streaming services
c. Interactive Distant learning using IP multicasting Services
d. Video on demand
e. Interactive gaming service

1.3.2 PROJECT 1– IP / MPLS CORE BACKBONE

1. 100 location Managed IP & MPLS Network

2. Network using Cisco and Juniper Router
3. Common Backbone for all other projects of BSNL and integration with other projects of NIB
and other Data Projects
4. International Gateways connected for Internet access
5. Provides MPLS-VPN Services and Internet Services, in certain cases

1.3.3 PROJECT 2.1 – NARROWBAND ACCESS NETWORK

i.) Consists of Narrowband RAS (NRAS)

ii.) Provides access to Dial-up Customers for Internet Access & Dial-VPN

1.3.4 PROJECT 2.2 – BROADBAND ACCESS NETWORK

i.) Network for Providing Broadband Access
ii.) Network built on Broadband RAS (BRAS), Tier-1 Switch, Tier-2 Switch and DSLAMs
iii.) Provides Broadband Internet Access and VPN Services
iv.) Broadband RAS (BRAS) working as PE Router for MPLS Core Network
v.) BRAS present at all „A‟ Type Locations – 23 in No.
vi.) Tier-1 Switch co-located with and connected to BRAS
vii.) Layer 2 Network below is aggregated by Tier-1 Switch
viii.) Tier-2 Switches connecting to Tier-1 Switches in Star Fashion

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 5 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

ix.) DSLAMs connect to Tier-2 Switch

1.3.5 PROJECT 3 – SERVER / APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

i.) Consists of Data Centers in 4 locations – Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai & Noida
ii.) IBM Servers, Nortel Network & Security equipment
iii.) Provides Mail, DNS, Co-Hosting, Co-location, Billing etc.

1.3.6 NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

i.) A1 – 5 Core cities
ii.) Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta
iii.) A2 – 3 Tier-2 cities
iv.) Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad,
v.) A3 – 6 next level core cities
vi.) Ernakulam, Lucknow, Jaipur, Indore, Jullundur, Patna
vii.) A4 – 10 Major cities; Chandiagrh, Ranchi, Mangalore, Nagpur, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati,
Vijaywada, Allahabad, Raipur, Coimbatore
viii.) B1,B2 – 76 other cities

1.4 BROADBAND MULTIPLAY COMPONENTS

i.) L3PE (MCR / PE Router of NIB)
ii.) BNG – Broadband Network Gateway
iii.) Connects Multiplay Network to NIB Backbone
iv.) RPR Tier-1 Switch
v.) Provides connectivity from BNG to Connects
vi.) RPR Tier-2 Switch
vii.) OC LAN Tier-2 Switch
viii.) DSLAM
ix.) DSL Tester

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 6 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

1.5 BROADBAND NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

The cities in India have been classified in six types namely A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2. Important
aspects are given below:
1. A1 – 5 Core cities - Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta
2. A2/A3 – 9 next level core cities -Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Ernakulam, Lucknow,
Jaipur, Indore, Jullundur, Patna
3. A4 – 10 Major cities
4. B1, B2 – 47 other cities
5. A1 city core routers are fully meshed between locations on STM-16
6. IGW – International Gateway Router – Connectivity to Internet is through this router
7. IXP – Internet Exchange Point – ISP‟s connect each other through this router
8. IDC – Internet Data Center – for connecting to BSNL Data Centers
9. B1 and B2 cities have only EDGE routers.
10. All Core locations also have edge routers
11. Primary Network Operating center at Bangalore and Disaster Recovery is at Pune

1.5.1 NIB EXPANSION OVERVIEW

1. 29 locations added which makes the total to 100
2. Core backbone is getting aligned to BSNL Transmission (DWDM) network
3. 24 City core network increased to 29
4. All 29 city core network links are STM-16 (ie STM1 connectivity of A4 cities will be
upgraded to STM16)
5. New 5 Cities are Belgaum, Dehradun, Rajkot, Jodhpur, Jabalpur
1.5.2 COMPONENTS OF BROADBAND ACCESS NETWORK NETWORK
1. Broad band Remote Access Server (BBRAS)
2. Gigabit and Fast Ethernet Aggregation Switches (LAN Switches).
3. Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers (DSLAMs)
4. SSSS/SSSC (Subscriber Service Selection System/ Centre)
5. Servers for AAA, LDAP at NOC.
6. Provisioning and configuration management at NOC.
7. DSL CPEs (MODEM)
8. The DSLAMs will in general be collocated with existing PSTN exchanges, which provide
last mile access to customers over copper wire up to average span lengths of 3 kms.
9. All DSLAMs will be aggregated through a FE interface except 480 port DSLAM, which will
be aggregated through Gigabit Ethernet Interface.
10. The 240 ports DSLAM will have two number of FE interface.
11. The FX or GBIC module in DSLAM and LAN switch capable of driving upto 10km on a
single mode fibre.
12. The SX or GBIC module in LAN Switch used for connecting Tier2 to Tier1. In bigger cities
like A1, A2, A3 and A4, one BBRAS per city will be deployed initially.
14. There will be no BBRAS at B1 and B2 cities.
15. The DSLAMs in B1.B2 and other lower hierarchical cities will be aggregated through Layer
2 switches, and will be connected to the nearest BBRAS of A cities on Ethernet over SDH.
16. The BRAS shall terminate the PPP sessions initiated by the customer and extend the
connection further to MPLS VPN/ Internet as desired by the customer.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 7 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

1.6 SALIENT FEATURES OF NETWORK

All 198 cities have DSLAMs and Tier2 LAN switches (for aggregation of DSLAM). All A
cities and Noida (Total 23 cities) have one BRAS, one SSSS and one Tier 1 LAN switch. There is no
BRAS, SSSS and Tier 1 LAN switch in any other cities. All DSLAM are initially aggregated using
Tier 2 LAN switch, through one pair of dark fibre. The 240 port DSLAM has two numbers of FE
interfaces. The FX or GBIC module in DSLAM and LAN switch should be capable of driving up to
10kms on a single mode fibre. The SX or GBIC module in LAN switch used for connecting Tier2 to
Tier1 supports 40kms distance. In bigger cities like A1, A2, A3 and A4, one BRAS per city is
deployed initially. There is no BBRAS at B1 and B2 cities. The DSLAMs in B1, B2 and other lower
hierarchical cities are aggregated through Layer 2 switches, and are connected to the nearest BRAS
of A cities on Ethernet over SDH. The BRAS terminates the PPP sessions initiated by the customer
and extend the connection further to MPLS VPN/Internet as desired by the customer. The DSLAM is
general be colocated with existing PSTN exchange, which provides last mile access to customers
over copper wire up to average span lengths of 3 kms. All DSLAMs are aggregated through Fast
Ethernet (FE) interface except 480 port DSLAM, which are aggregated through Gigabit Ethernet
(GigE) interface.

The Salient points of the broadband deployment are

1) The broadband Services are planned in 198 cities
2) The cities are categorized under A1 (3 cities), A2 (3 cities), A3 (6 cities), A4 (10 cities), B1
(21 cities), B2 (26 cities) and others (129 cities).
3) Delhi and Mumbai will not have any broadband equipment under Project 2.2 of NIB.
4) All A cities + NOIDA (Total 23 cities) have one BRAS, one SSSS and one Tier 1 LAN
Switch.
5) There will be no BRAS, SSSS and Tier 1 LAN Switch in any other cities.
6) All 198 cities have DSLAMs and Tier 2 LAN Switch (for aggregating DSLAM)
7) All DSLAMs are initially aggregated using Tier 2 LAN Switch, through one pair of dark
fibre. The DSLAMs and Switch Ethernet Interface are optical, single mode at 1550 nm. The
maximum distance between DSLAM and LAN Switch shall not exceed 10 km
8) DSLAMs of 480 ports, 240 ports, 120 ports, 64 ports, 48 ports and 24 ports type are planned.
While DSLAM of 480 ports have Gigabit Ethernet interface, other type of DSLAMs will
have Fast Ethernet Interface.
9) The Tier 2 LAN Switch in A city + NOIDA are further aggregated at Tier 1 LAN Switch,
deployed in the same city, through one pair of dark fibre, on Gigabit Ethernet optical, single
mode Interface at 1550 nm. The maximum distance between Tier 2 LAN Switch and Tier
1LAN Switch shall not exceed 40 km.
10) The Tier 2 LAN Switch in B cities and other cities are connected to the nearest A city using
Fast Ethernet over SDH (FEoSDH). For this connectivity, the Fast Ethernet interface at Tier 2
LAN Switch in B or other cities can be either electrical or optical whereas Fast Ethernet
interface at Tier 1 LAN Switch in A cities are optical.
It may be mentioned here that in each B1 and B2 city, two Tier 2 LAN Switch are
planned. Thus, Fast Ethernet over SDH originating from two different places in B cities and
getting terminated on the Tier 1 LAN Switch. So, two STM-1 links are required for each B1
and B2 city.
11) The Tier 1 LAN Switch in A city and Noida is connected to BRAS on Gigabit Ethernet
(GigE) interface, which in turn is connected to the Core Router of Project 1 of NIB.
12) The broadband Network has Network Operation Centre (NOC) with main NOC at Bangalore
and Disaster Recovery (DR) NOC at Pune. In addition, five Regional POPs (for network
management) are also there. They are Bangalore, Pune, Kolkatta, Chennai and NOIDA.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 8 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

Fig. - Broadband Network

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 9 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 10 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

1.7 FUNCTIONS OF DSL COMPONENTS

DSL CPEs: At customer premises. On end it connects telephone cable coming from exchange. At
the other end, it connects to Telephone and PC through Ethernet using RJ-45 connector.
DSLAM: called as DSL Access Multiplexer. It has a built in splitter, which splits voice and data.
While voice follows the normal conventional path through exchange, data is aggregated and up
linked through Ethernet Port (Gigabit Ethernet for 480 port and Fast Ethernet for lower DSLAM).
The DSLAM is employed by the Telecom Companies to code the subscriber line with the broadband
data content. Once the ADSL copper line reaches the customer, some customer premises equipment
(CPE) has to be employed to separate the voice and data signals.

LAN Switch: For aggregating multiple DSLAM and providing a common uplink.
The subscriber connections from the DSLAMs are aggregated through this before being passed on to
the core router. This again is implemented in two tiers, with a tier–1 switch aggregating traffic from
multiple tier-2 switches.

BRAS: called as Broadband Remote Access Server. It is the first intelligent device in the whole
chain. It terminates the customer session, authenticates, allots IP addresses and keeps track of user
session for billing along with RADIUS. This is the device which acts as the gateway granting
customers access to the network. It offers the following services:
Internet Access
Broadband Access
VLAN and Gigabit Ethernet Services
VPN
Multicasting
Content Delivery Services

SSSS: It is called as Subscriber Service Selection System. When customer logs in he will be
welcomed with this customized screen from where he can select various range of services. This
provides on-demand service without manual intervention.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course Page/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 11 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
 Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

RADIUS: This, in conjunction with BRAS, authenticates customer, uploads customer profile in the
SSSS and keeps track of billing.

LDAP: It stores customer database viz. username, password and the default services that it can
subscribe to.

Provisioning: This is the most critical component for ensuring quick delivery of service. It ensures
end-to-end provisioning of service right from DSL CPEs to DSLAM to Switch to BRAS to LDAP.

1.8 THE PHYSICAL LAYER

Let us consider a simple data communication situation shown in Fig.1, where two digital devices A
and B need to exchange data bits.

A B

Physical Bits Bits

Layer
Physical Layer
Protocol

Interface

Interconnecting Medium
Fig. Transmission of bits by the Physical layer.

The basic requirements for the devices to be able to exchange bits are the following:

1. There should be a physical interconnecting medium which can carry electrical signals between
the two devices.
2. The bits need to be converted into electrical signals and vice versa.
3. The electrical signal should have characteristics (voltage, current, impedance, rise time etc)
suitable for transmission over the medium.
4. The devices should be prepared to exchange the electrical signals.

These requirements, which are related purely to the physical aspects of transmission of bits, are met
out by the Physical layer. The rules and procedures for interaction between the Physical layers are
called Physical layer protocols (Fig. 1).

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course Page/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 12 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
 Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

The Physical layer provides its service to the Data Link layer which is the next higher layer and
uses this service. It receives service of the physical interconnection medium for transmitting the
electrical signals.

PHYSICAL CONNECTION

The Physical layer receives the bits to be transmitted from the Data Link layer (Fig. 2). At the
receiving end, the Physical layer hands over these bits to the Data Link layer. Thus, the Physical
layers at the two ends provide a transport service from one Data Link layer to the other over a
“Physical connection” activated by them. A Physical connection is different from a physical
transmission path in the sense that it is at bit level while the transmission path is at the electrical
signal level.

Data Link
Layer

) Bits Bits
Physical
Physical Connection
Layer

Interconnection Medium

Fig. Physical connection.

The Physical connection Shown in Fig. 2 is point-to-point. Point-to-multipoint Physical connection is

also possible as shown in Fig. 3.

A
Data Link
Layer
Bits
Bits Bits
Physical
Physical Connection
Layer

Interconnection Medium

Fig. 3 Point-to-multipoint Physical Connection.

Basic Service Provided to the Data Link Layer
The basic service provided by the Physical layer to the Link layer is the transmission
B C
service over the Physical connection. The Physical layer service is specified 10022 and
CCITT X.211 documents. Some of the features of this service are now described.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course Page/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 13 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
 Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

Activation/Deactivation of the Physical Connection. The Physical layer, when requested by the
Data Link layer, activates and deactivates a Physical connection for transmission of bits. Activation
ensures that if one user initiates transmission of bits, the receiver at the other end is ready to receive
them. The activation and deactivation service is non-confirmed, i.e., the user activating or
deactivating a connection is not given any feedback of the action having been carried out by the
Physical layer.

A Physical connection may allow full duplex or half duplex transmission of the bits. In half
duplex transmission, the users themselves decide which of the two users may transmit. It is not done
by the Physical layer protocol.

Transparency. The Physical layer provides transparent transmission of the bit stream between the
Data Link entities over the Physical connection. Transparency implies that any bit sequence can be
transmitted without any restriction imposed by the Physical layer.

Physical Service Data Units (Ph-SDU). Ph-SDU received from the Data Link layer consists of one
bit in serial transmission and of “n” bits in parallel transmission.

Sequenced Delivery. The Physical layer tries to deliver the bits in the same sequence as they were
received from the Data Link layer but it does not carry out any error control. Therefore, it is likely
that some of the bits are altered, some are not delivered at all, and some are duplicated.

Fault Condition Notification. Data Link entities are notified in case of any fault detected in the
Physical connection.

1.9 FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE PHYSICAL LAYER

To provide the services as listed above to the Data Link layer, the Physical layer carries out the
following functions::
1. It activates and deactivates the Physical connection at the request of the Data Link layer
entity. These functions involve interaction of the Physical layer entities. Thus, the Physical
layer exchanges control signals with the peer entity.
2. A Physical connection may necessitate the use of a relay at an intermediate point to
regenerate the electrical signals. (Fig.4). Activation and deactivation of the relay is carried out
by the Physical layer. This function is explained in detail in the next section.

Bits Physical Connection

Bits
Relay

Physical  
Layer

Interconnection Media

 Physical Connection End Points

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 14 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

Fig. 4 Relaying function of the Physical layer.

3. The Physical transmission of the bits may be synchronous or asynchronous. The Physical
layer provides sychronization signals necessary for transmission of the bits. Character level or
frame level synchronization is the responsibility of the Data Link layer.
4. If the signal encoding is required, this function is carried out by the Physical layer.
5. The Physical layer does not incorporate any error control function.

1.10 PHYSICAL MEDIUM INTERFACE

The Physical layers need to exchange protocol control information between them. Unlike the other
layers which send the protocol control information as a separate field, the Physical layers use the
interconnecting medium for sending the protocol control signals. These signals are sent on separate
wires as shown in Fig.7. Note that the control signals originate and terminate in the Physical layers.
They have no functional significance beyond the Physical layer. This is in conformity with the
principles of the layered architecture.
B
A

Data Data
Bits Bits
Fig. 7 Transmission of Physical Layer the Physical layer.
Protocol
Control Signals

Data Signals

The physical interconnecting medium consists of a number of wires carrying data and control
signals. It is essential to specify which wire carries which signal. Moreover, the mechanical
specifications of the connector, type of the connector (male or female) and the electrical
characteristics of the signals need to be specified. Definition of the physical medium interface
includes all these specifications.

1.11 PHYSICAL LAYER STANDAREDS

Historically, the specifications and standards of the physical medium interface have also covered the
Physical layer protocols. But these specifications have not identified the Physical layer protocols as
such.

Physical layer specifications can be divided into the following four components (Fig.8):
1. Mechanical specification
2. Electrical specification
3. Functional specification
4. Procedural specification.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 15 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

Procedural Specification
(Physical layer protocol)

Physical
Layer
Mechanical Specification
(Connector pin assignment)

Functional Specification
(Various Signals)

Electrical Specification
(Electrical characteristics)

Fig.8 Physical layer specifications

The procedural specification is the Physical layer protocol definition and the other three
specifications constitute the physical medium interface specifications.

 The mechanical specification gives details of the mechanical dimensions and the type of
connectors to be used on the device and the medium. Pin assignments of the connector are
 also specified. 
 The electrical specification defines the permissible limits of the electrical signals appearing at
the interface in terms of voltages, currents, impedances, rise time, etc. The required electrical
 characteristics of the medium are also specified. 
  The functional specification indicates the functions of various control signals. 
 The procedural specification indicates the sequence in which the control signals are
exchanged between the Physical layers for carrying out their functions. 
Although there are many standards of the Physical layer, only a few are of wide significance. Some
examples of Physical layer standards are given below.

EIA: EIA-232-D

RS-449, RS-422-A, RS-423-A

CCITT: X.20, X.20bis

X.21, X.21bis

V.35, V.24, V.28

ISO: ISO 2110

Out of the above, the EIA-232-D interface is the most common and is found in almost all computers.
We will examine EIA-232-D in detail in the following sections. other less important Physical
standards will also be discussed in brief.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 16 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

EIA-232-D DIGITAL INTERFACE

The EIA-232-D digital interface of Electronics Industries Association (EIA) is the most widely used
physical medium interface. RS-232-C is the older and more familiar version of EIA-232-D. It was
published in 1969 as RS-232 interface and the current version was finalised in 1987. EIA-232-D is
applicable to the following modes of transmission:

 Serial transmission of data 

 Synchronous and asynchronous transmission 
 Point-to-point and point-to-multipoint working 
 Half duplex and full duplex transmission. 

DTE/DCE interface

EIA-232-D is applicable to the interface between a Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) and a Data
Circuit Terminating Equipment (DCE) (Fig.9). The terminal devices are usually called Data Terminal
Equipment (DTE). The DTEs are interconnected using two intermediary devices which carry out the
relay function. The intermediary devices are categorized as Data Circuit-terminating Equipment
(DCE). They are so called because standing at the Physical layer of a DTE and facing the data circuit,
one finds oneself looking at an intermediary device which terminates the data circuit.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 17 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
 Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

DTE DTE
DCE DCE

Physical
Layer

Interface Interface
Between Between
DTE and DCE DCE and DCE
(EIA-232-D)

Fig. 9 DTE/DCE interfaces at the Physical layer.

Two types of Physical layer interfaces are involved in the above configuration:
1. Interface between a DTE and a DCE
2. Interface between the DCEs.

EIA-232-D defines the interface between a DTE and DCE. There are other standards for DCE-to-
DCE interface.

The physical media between the DTE and the DCE consist of several circuits carrying data,
control and timing signals. Each circuit carries one specific signal, either from the DTE or from the
DCE. These circuits are called interchange circuits.

DCE-DCE Connection

A DCE has two interfaces, DTE-side interface which is EIA-232-D, and the line-side interface which
interconnects the two DCEs through the transmissions medium. There can be several forms of
connection and modes of transmission between the DCEs as shown in Fig.10

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 18 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

EIA-232-D
EIA-232-D

DTE DCE Dedicated DCE DTE

Transmission Medium

   

DTE DCE DCE DTE

Telephone
Network
  

Telephone Telephone
Instrument Instrument

DTE DCE DCE DTE

4-Wire

DTE DCE DCE DTE

2- Wire Circuit

Fig. 10 Transmission alternatives between two DCEs.

1. The two DCEs may be connected directly through a dedicated transmission medium.
2. The two DCEs may be connected to PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network).
3. The connection may be on a 2-wire transmission circuit or on a 4-wire transmission circuit.
4. The mode of transmission between the DCEs may be either full duplex or half duplex.

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 19 of 20

For Restricted Circulation
Broadband Technology (BB) Broadband Overview

Full duplex mode of transmission is easily implemented on a 4-wire circuit. Two wires are used for
transmission in one direction and the other two in the opposite direction. Full duplex operation on a
2-wire circuit requires two communication channels which are provided at different frequencies on
the same medium.

PSTN provides a 2-wire circuit between the DCEs and the circuit needs to be established and
released using a standard telephone interface.

Note that electronics of the DCE may not be directly connected to the interconnecting
transmission circuit. This connection is made on request from the DTE as we shall see later.

1.12 SUMMARY
NIB is a network which is designed & developed so as to provide MPLS based core having
sufficiently large bandwidth & high-end routers to provide efficient forwarding of Data traffic. NIB
is able to support all kind of services. that can be offered on DSL platform. Broadband network is a
country wide network capable of providing on all types of services over DSL platform. It is also
made capable of extending on-demand services such as GoD, MoD, VoD etc by
augmentation/expanding the network. Physical layer of OSI model provides electrical, mechanical,
physical specification of media such as interfaces, voltage levels, topology, media type, maximum
data rates etc.

1.13 SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

i) What is bandwidth deployed in MPLS based backbone network of NIB?
ii) Which technology is adopted in providing broadband based services in NIB?
iii) What are the types of cities as per classification of NIB network architecture?
iv) Which services can be offered through project 2.1 of NIB?
v) How DSLAMs are aggregated to Tier-II LAN switches?
vi) How Tier-II LAN switches are aggregated to Tier-I LAN switches?
vii) What are the functions of DSLAM?
viii) What are the functions of BRAS?
ix) Where the Noc & DR-NOC for broadband network are located?
x) What is the maximum distance between Tier 2 LAN Switch and Tier 1 LAN Switch?
xi) What is the maximum distance between DSLAM and LAN Switch?
xii) What are the characteristics of physical layer of OSI model?
xiii) What are the standards of physical medium?
xiv) What is the importance of physical layer?

1.14 REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED FURTHER READINGS

  Andrew S. Tanenbaum, D. J. (2010). Computer Networks (5th Edition). 

  RFC - Internet Official Protocol Standards. (n.d.). 
  Stallings, W. (2010). Data and Computer Communications (9th Edition). 
  http://en.wikipedia.org/ 
  Website www.bsnl.co.in 
 Website www.datanetwork.bsnl.co.in 

EETP/BSNL Gold Certification Course/Ver.02/Jan’2015 Page 20 of 20

For Restricted Circulation