Introduction
WiLAN’s wireline portfolio includes patented inventions that cover power conservation, rate conversion, timing control, IPTV systems, as well as crosstalk and noise reduction.
Power conservation technology
WiLAN’s power conservation technology was developed in response to the order by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), in the mid 1990’s, to unbundle telecommunications services to foster competition. The technology reduces the power consumption of DSL devices during periods of low usage through the specification of power reduction states and out-of-band signaling. The power reduction technology has been implemented in the ADSL2 and ADSL2+ standards.
Technology media and companies have highlighted some of the benefits that the power reduction technology in the ADSL2 and ADSL2+ standards bring to equipment designers, telecom carriers and users.
"The new ADSL2 power management capabilities could provide the biggest benefit for today’s broadband design community. Today’s ADSL transceivers operate in full-power mode day and night, creating huge power concerns for equipment designers and carriers. ADSL2 is tackling this issue head-on, delivering new power savings capabilities…”
Comms Design, January 2003
"To address these concerns, the ADSL2 standard brings two power management modes that help reduce overall power consumption while maintaining ADSL’s “always-on” functionality for the user.”
ADSL2 and ADSL2+, The New ADSL Standards Whitepaper
Aware Inc. 2002
Recognizing the environmental impact of generating the electricity used to power computer and telecommunications equipment, governments and industry are developing guidelines for reducing the power consumption of these devices. In November 2008, the European Union (EU) issued its “Code of Conduct on Energy Consumption of Broadband Equipment”, which sets out basic principles of maximizing the energy efficiency of broadband equipment. The code of conduct specifies the use of the ADSL2 and ADL2+ low power modes. The EU estimates that implementing the principles in the code of conduct will reduce electricity consumption in the European Union by 25 Terawatt hours, representing a 5.5 Million tons of oil equivalent (TOE) and a total saving of about 7.5 billion euros per year.
Crosstalk and noise reduction technologies
The crosstalk and noise reduction technologies address compatibility issues between ISDN and xDSL implementations in Japan. The technologies address critical signal integrity and performance limitations of ADSL networking over copper wire with low dielectric insulator – a common telecommunications infrastructure in Japan. The technologies were adopted by the ITU Annex C variant of the xDSL and enabled ADSL, ADSL2 and ADSL2+ to be implemented in Japan.
Beyond simply enabling the deployment of ADSL, ADSL2 and ADSL2+ in Japan, the crosstalk and noise reduction technologies have been found to deliver significant performance advantages that reduce the cost of carrier deployments.
DSLAM local user authentication and multicast protocol support
IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is a system where a digital television service is delivered using Internet Protocol over a broadband internet connection. IPTV services are being offered or planned by most telecom operators around the world as part of their triple-play services (voice, internet access and video). Delivering a quality IPTV end-user experience is critical if the telecom industry is to successfully compete with cable operators who offer these same services. WiLAN’s technologies, which enable local user authentication and multicast protocol support in DSLAM (Digital subscriber line access multiplexer) devices, address an important and well-known requirement of quality TV service delivery, fast channel change. Performing user authentication at the DSLAM avoids the delay associated with traditional methods that place the authentication function either in an upstream network router or in a specialized service management server. Eliminating this delay enables a faster TV channel change and a superior end-user experience.
Portfolio
WiLAN’s wireline technology portfolio consists of over 300 issued and pending patents that cover the United States, various countries in Europe and Asia as well as Canada.
Licensees
Wireline technologies in our portfolio have been licensed by 10 companies
To find out more information about licensing our wireline technologies or request a license, please complete and submit the following information form.