The use of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology depends heavily on the length and quality of the copper wire between the modem of an end user and the DSL Access Multiplexer (DSLAM). Longer copper wiring reduces the line quality and thus the bandwidth usable on this line. Reducing the length of the copper wire by locating a DSLAM near the end user, typically within a few kilometers, and serving only a small amount of users, for instance 120, will improve the service to the end user significantly.
A DSLAM that is located near the end user is protected from weather conditions by some sort of enclosure, for instance an outdoor cabinet. The DSLAM requires a high bandwidth connection to the Central Office (CO) which could be an office of a telecom operator or internet service provider, and has multiple low bandwidth connections to end users generally used for xDSL access. Other technologies such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) work similarly where a group of end users is connected to an Access Multiplexer (AM), which in turn provides access to the network of an operator.
A Remote Unit (RU) is an enclosure which may be provided with at least one Access Multiplexer, one or more high bandwidth media to a CO and one or more low bandwidth links to end users. Such a Remote Unit is usually located above ground in what is referred to as street cabinet or outdoor enclosure. Alternatively a remote unit can be located underground in what is typically referred to as a manhole.
A remote unit typically has several connections to the central office. Optical fiber provides a reliable high-speed medium which is ideal for carrying multiple information flows simultaneously. Putting fibers in the ground is however an expensive task with major disturbance for the public and traffic. Roads and sidewalks need to be opened before fiber can be placed underneath. Therefore spare fibers are made available in the remote unit for future expansion of the remote unit.
A brochure concerning the Alcatel 7300 ASAM (Advanced Services Access Manager) ETSI version, Release 4.3/4.4 describes the use and advantages of the Alcatel 7300 ASAM in xDSL technology. Particularly the section titled “Extending Network Coverage” on page 6 of the brochure describes how the Alcatel 7300 ASAM can be used as a remote unit to extend geographical coverage of an xDSL deployment. It further describes how such a 7300 ASAM can be connected to products such as a micro DSLAM or a remote Alcatel 7300 ASAM-o as outdoor cabinet. Both the 7300 ASAM and subsequent connected devices such as a micro DSLAM can be considered a remote unit for the current invention. This brochure can be retrieved from the Internet via:
http://www.alcatel.be/doctypes/opgproductbrochure/pdfa4/7300_etsi_bro.pdf.
The datasheet containing specifications of the Alcatel 7300 ASAM-c compact (ETSI version) release 4.3 discloses a DSLAM that can be included in an enclosure to form a remote unit. The Alcatel 7324 Remote Unit is yet another product offering DSLAM technology close to the end user premises. This datasheet can be retrieved from the Internet via:
http://www.alcatel.be/doctypes/opgdatasheet/pdfa4/7300c_etsi_R43_ds.pdf.
All of the above-described products can be included in outdoor cabinets in order to be located near a particular amount of users. These outdoor cabinets provide protection from weather conditions and prevent unwanted physical access to the equipment inside.
Several manufacturers provide enclosures for communication equipment. For instance ICEE Ltd. (Installers of Communication and Electrical Equipment) offers the design and installation of custom-made enclosures. Knürr AG provides a series of outdoor enclosures for various purposes in their Tecoras product line. The CS product line of Rittal is another example of outdoor enclosures that can be used to house communications equipment and be a part in the remote units described in this invention.
Content broadcasters, such as television stations have a need to provide coverage of particular events, for instance music festivals or major news events. This coverage involves acquiring video and audio content, editing this content to an item ready for broadcast and transmitting this item to a central location for broadcast, not necessarily in that order. Typical parts in this process are satellite trucks which provide a satellite uplink to a central location and which are used to transmit the audio and video content. These trucks may also provide an editing studio to prepare the items before they are transmitted. Satellite uplinks are not always reliable; they are prone to delays and interference of radiation in the atmosphere. A typical example of this is the loss of a link during a live interview or the delays that occur between asking a question and a person actually hearing that question.
It is an object of the present invention to provide flexible means for delivering content to a central location from a remote location using existing network infrastructure. It is another object of the present invention to provide encoding and decoding means for easy content delivery. It is a further object of the present invention to facilitate real time audio and video communication between two remote points. It is another objective of the present invention to provide these means for delivering content in a secure way, restricting access from unauthorized persons or devices.