Common-mode data transmission using the binder sheath in digital subscriber lines

Abstract

This paper presents the use of the common-mode signal in digital-subscriber-line (DSL) transmission. The DSL binder's metallic sheath is used as a common reference to obtain reliable channels for the common-mode signals. The direct and crosstalk channels for the common-mode signal are obtained using multi-conductor transmission line theory, and the data-rate improvement by exploiting these extra dimensions is presented. The lines in the binder are coordinated to cancel differential-mode crosstalk and also to avoid interference caused by radiation from the common-mode within the binder. The high level of common-mode noise is countered by exploiting the correlation between the differential- and common-mode noises. Numerical results based on the derived models show data-rate improvements of up to 100% compared to using only differential-mode transmission.