Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL)

SDSL also known as SHDSL Single-Pair High-speed Digital Subscriber Line (SHDSL) is a form of DSL, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. Compared to ADSL, SHDSL employs frequencies that include those used by traditional POTS telephone services to provide equal transmit and receive (i.e. symmetric) data rates. As such, a frequency splitter, or microfilter, cannot be used to allow a telephone line to be shared by both an SHDSL service and a POTS service at the same time. Support of symmetric data rates has made SHDSL a popular choice by businesses for PBX, VPN, web hosting and other data services. Not all exchanges are SDSL enabled, forcing businesses to install the more expensive leased line options

SHDSL features symmetrical data rates from 192 kbit/s to 2,304 kbit/s of payload in 64 kbit/s increments for one pair and 384 kbit/s to 4,608 kbit/s in 128 kbit/s increments for two pair applications. The reach varies according to the loop rate and noise conditions (more noise or higher rate means decreased reach) and may be up to 3,000 meters. The two pair feature may alternatively be used for increased reach applications by keeping the data rate low. Halving the data rate per pair will provide similar speeds to single pair lines while increasing the error/noise tolerance.

An optional extended SHDSL mode allows symmetric data rates up to 5696 kbit/s on one pair. Higher data rates may be achieved using two or up to four copper pairs.

The SHDSL payload may be either 'clear channel' (unstructured), T1 or E1 (full rate or fractional), multiple ISDN Basic Rate Access (BRA), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) cells or Ethernet packets. A 'dual bearer' mode allows a mixture of two separate streams (e.g. T1 and ATM) to share the SHDSL bandwidth.