Ikanos Develops Rapid Rate Adaptation to Ensure IPTV Connectivity over Noisy Lines

Ikanos Communications introduced a Rapid Rate Adaptation (RRA) technology designed to minimize noise-induced service interruptions over DSL connections. Noise over a broadband line due to sudden power surges or other sources can potentially cause dropped connections and interruptions of service.



For IPTV viewers, even a momentary drop in the connection leads to retraining of the broadband line and a subsequent re-establishment of the IP connection -- a process than can take half of a minute. In the mean time, the TV program that is being watched and any VoIP sessions underway, are suddenly dropped.



RRA minimizes such link drops by rapidly and dynamically adapting data rates to accommodate the additional noise without dropping the connection, thus improving service availability and the user experience.



Ikanos said its RRA technology allows service providers to maintain link connectivity, even when signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) margin drops below normal operating levels. The technology enables transceivers to monitor line conditions and dynamically adapt the data rate without interrupting service for retraining, as long as there is adequate bandwidth to absorb the impact of the noise. Ikanos' solution also uses on-chip QoS capabilities to enhance RRA by prioritizing traffic and quickly communicating the status of the link to other layers in the network. The company is currently demonstrating the technology and commercial release is expected shortly.



"Ikanos' RRA technology provides us with a significant competitive differentiator," said Hiromitsu Awai, general manager of technical marketing at Sumitomo Electric Networks, Inc. "When sudden, large noise profiles appear on the DSL line, most DSL links are broken, thus interrupting service. RRA ensures that premium services such as triple play and interactive broadband over VDSL2 are not interrupted in such noisy conditions, which results in a significantly improved user experience. RRA is therefore enormously beneficial for carriers that are planning to offer triple play services and compete with cable providers."http://www.ikanos.com