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OverviewAn introduction on “Last Mile Access Technologies” will be given. There

are several types of Last Mile Access Technologies. Each type has their

usability in their application domain. There for those have pros and cons

and also limitations.

Graphical presentation of data and images have included for illustrative

purposes

Last Mile Access Technologies

What is “Last Mile Access”“It is the final leg of delivering connectivity from a communications provider to a

customer. Usually referred to by the telecommunications and cable television

industries. It is typically scene as an expensive challenge because “fanning out”

wires and cables is a considerable physical undertaking.” (from Wikipedia)

The last mile is the physical connection from our Internet Service Provider

(ISP) to our home

Hence the following notations are also used.

Local Access Network

First Mile

Local Loop

Techniques

There are four main groups

Copper wire-based networks

Cable TV networks

Wireless networks

Other types of physical access networks

Copper wire technologies

Dial-up

ISDN

xDSL

Generally copper data cabling and wiring systems are divided into categories or classes by the

cabling standards organizations and use bandwidth needs to determine the proper customer

application of each category of cabling.

Why are copper networks still so widely used although they have been rendered obsolete by

next-generation technologies ?

Better and more reliable service for customer at a lower rate

Dial-up

Connection through analogue modems

Use the “voice band” : 300-3400 HZ

Limitations

Low data rate

Attenuation

Effect due to SNR

Pros and Cons

Pros

Economical

Mobility

Flexibility

Flexible

Cons

Low data rate

Transient

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

Integrated services digital network

100% pure digital network

Better speed and quality for voice/data transmission

More infrastructure needed

Offer two levels of services

Basic Rate Interface (BRI) : for home and small enterprises

Primary Rate Interface (PRI) : for large usage

Both rates include number of B Channels and D Channels

B Channel (Barrier Channel) : carries main data

D Channel (Delta Channel): carries signal information

ISDN

ISDN | Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages

Reliable connection (Digital)

Higher data rate

Can connect to multiple devices (Phone, Fax, PC etc…)

Disadvantages

Expensive

Need special devices

xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line)

Accommodate speed ranges from 128Kbps to 24000 Kbps

Use the copper cables of the local loop of the telephone system

Summarize number of years of experience in this field

Examples of DSL technologies

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)

Gigabyte Digital Subscriber Line (GDSL ) etc…

Two modulation techniques

CAP (Carrier less Amplitude/Phase) : Similar to QAM

Discrete Multitone Technique : Use combination of QAM and FDM

xDSL speeds changes with distance

Cable TV Network

Use pre-installed cables that are not used to their full capacity for internet access

Coaxial Cable and Cable Modems are widely used

Cable DOCSIS

Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification

This is the standard for high speed data over cable network

DOCSIS Quality of service

Packet qualities

Packet fragmentation

Payload header suppression

Cable | Pros & Cons Pros

Higher bandwidth

Higher data rate

Pre built infrastructure

Cons

Users over large area share bandwidth

Shared line means privacy security issues

Wireless General Package Radio Service (GPRS)

Also known as 2.5 G

Speed 160 Kbps (theoritically)

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)

IEEE 802.16

Standard based wireless technology

Universal Mobile Telecommunication System(UMTS)

3 G Technology

Maximum data rate 1920 Kbps

Other

GPS

Satellite

Wireless LAN

Other

Fiber

Future prophesy Interconnections

Fiber for speed

How to use old cables and trenches

Integration of the third world

Cheap technology fast

Wireless

Higher demand for mobilit

Summery

It’s important to know the reasons for having different

implementation mechanisms

Though sophisticated method exists, still legacy mechanisms are

used in primary cases and special cases.

Advantages are valid under certain parameters

Now technology move towards more reliable approaches

“Mobility” has become a key feature. And at the same time security

and performance has to optimized.

Wireless technology

Wearable devices (NFC technologies etc…)

References

[1] “Last Mile”. Jan 3 2014 . Available http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile. [Accessed: May 29,

2014].

[2] “last-mile technology” . Apr 2005. [Blog entry] Rouse. Available

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/last-mile-technology [Accessed: 29 May

2014].

[3] A.Z. Dodd, Essential guide to telecommunications, 5th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2012.

[4] “Broadband Telecommunications” . Mar 7 2012. [Blog entry] Jchan. Available

http://jonapchan.blogspot.com/ [Accessed: 29 May 2014].