INTEGRATED SERVICE DIGITAL

NETWORK
New Technology Familiarization (ISDN)

INTEGRATED SERVICE DIGITAL

NETWORK
A RECENT development in the Indian telecommunication network is the
introduction of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) in all the places.
ISDN is a network that provides end-to-end digital connectivity to support a
wide range of services including voice and non voice services. Users can have
access using a limited set of standard multipurpose customer interface.

To start with, the BSNL has introduced only narrow band ISDN leaving the
broad band ISDN and Universal access ISDN. As the Internet has come
already into India the introduction of ISDN is only appropriate, to serve the
high profile customers in an economical way.

Of course, the customers in India have been made to wait till 1996, while
around 3.5. million customers world over are already enjoying ISDN service,
for the main reason that digitalisation of the present telecom network
combined with CCS No. 7 signalling which are prerequisite for ISDN, could
be completed only in 1995. Now in almost all the major cities BSNL has
commissioned new technology switches with ISDN capabilities thanks to the
large scale import of equipment from advanced countries like Germany,
France and Japan.

ISDN has emerged as a powerful tool , by providing different services such as

telephone, fax, data communication, image and picture transmission, to
respond quickly to the needs and expectations of the common subscriber and
the business community. A single pair of copper premises of the customer can
establish at least two simultaneous independent calls either of voice or data.

ISDN CHANNELS – BASIC RATE ACCESS (BRA)

Basic Rate Access (2 B + D)

Single Pair B1= 64 Kbps

of Wires B2= 64 Kbps
D = 16 Kbps
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New Technology Familiarization (ISDN)

1. B Channel : There are 2 B – Channels each operate at 64 kbps. Carries

information for user services including Voice, Audio, Video and digital data.
Total B Channel bandwidth is 128 Kbps (64 + 64).
2. D Channel : Operate at 16 Kbps, carries signals between the User and the
network. This may also carry user data packets at lower speeds up to 16 kbps.

ISDN Channels – Primary Rate Access (PRA)

1. B Channel : There are 30 B – Channels each @ 64 kbps.

2. D Channel : One D chl – 64 kbps for signalling.

PRIMARY RATE ACCESS (30 B + D)

Two Pair of 30 B Channels at 64

PCM Kbps each

1 D at 64 Kbps

30 Channels of 64 Kbps each for speech and data

1 Channel of 64 Kbps for signaling

Customer Premises Equipments :

(a) Network Terminal (NT 1) : This equipment connects the 2 wire

ISDN line (U interface) from exchange for BRA – ISDN at one side and
provides a standard 4 wire interface (S interface), on the other side Various
Customer Premises Equipment (CPEs) can be connected on the S interface.

(b) Terminal Adapters (TA) : A Terminal Adapter connects the S

interface to one side and one or more of the following on the other side.

Analog Phones, G3 FAX, answering machine, Cordless Phone etc.

Terminal types of V.24 OR (RS 232C), X-25, V.35 etc.
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New Technology Familiarization (ISDN)

(c) S – Bus & S Bus Connectors.

(d) PC 486 AT / PC advanced or with windows.
(e) ddon Cards for PC for direct ISDN & FTP operation.

ISDN CUSTOMER PREMISES

℡
Terminal
connector Network
Terminal 1
“S” bus 2 W cable
NT 1
Local N/W

“S” bus
connector

Power
pack
Feature
PC phone

ISDN Customer Premises

(f) ISDN Feature Phone : The ISDN feature phone is connected at the
S interface and provides voice communication with number of supplementary
services.
(g) Desk top Video Conferencing Equipments (PC based) to work at
128 Kbps. The equipment consists of one or two PC cards to be installed in the
slots of IBM PC 486 or above. The cards provide interface to S Bus. A
Camera, earphone, milk or telephone is supplied which will be connected to
suitable connectors at one of the PCB in the tower. Suitable software is
provided to work on video conferencing.
Bearer Services :
A bearer service defines the transmission characteristics of a network,
which consists of exchanges and transmission equipment. These services
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New Technology Familiarization (ISDN)

are available to the terminals at NT 1 connected to the ISDN for transfer of

information.
64 Kbps Data.
Packet Switching
Circuit Switching.
64 Kbps Voice @ 8 KHz.

Tele Services – This is obtained by connecting suitable CPE like.

Telephony
FAX
Video
Imaging]Graphics

Supplementary Service :
In a addition to services like speech, audio, packet, fax and tele-services, there
are number of other features for calls within ISDN. These features are called
supplementary services. All the following services are available to ISDN
subscriber absolutely free of charge.

Multiple subscriber Number : (MSN) Allows to assign multiple ISDN numbers to a

single ISDN access. The calling user can select a specific terminal connected
on the passive bus of the called user by dialing the specific terminal number.
The MSN number is to be defined in the ISDN node. Normally three
Directory Numbers are given free of cost.

Sub Addressing ; (SUB) Allows the user to assign individual terminal addressing
beyond the scope of ISDN numbering plan. The terminal sub address is to be
defined by the user in the individual terminal connected on the possive bus.
Calling Line Identification Presentation : (CLIP) Called ISDN subscriber gets a
display of caller number

Calling Line Identification Restriction (CLIR):

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New Technology Familiarization (ISDN)

Allows called user restriction to prevent the presentation of calling line

identify. In override mode the called user can receive CLI even if CLIR is
activated.

Terminal Portability (TP) :

Allows the user to move his terminal from one socket to another within one
given access during the active phase of the call.
Call Hold : (CH)
Allows the user to intercept temporarily the existing communication and then
subsequently if desired retrieve that call from CH, or originate a new call or
establish connection on an incoming waiting call.
Closed User Group : (CUG)
Allows the user to form groups for establishing calls among the predefined
group of subs as members. A CUG member may belong to several CUGs.
Charging Related Service :
Advice of Charge : (AOC) Allows a user to receive charge information for a call
during the communication or at the end of the call.
Additional information transfer service :
User to User signaling : (UUS) is a supplementary service which allows an ISDN
user to send/receive a limited amount of information to / form another ISDN
User over signaling channel.
On the internal wiring in the subscribers’ premises, up to 8 ISDN terminals
such as video telephones, group 4 fax machines, ISDN telephone, IBS PC,
video conferencing equipment, can be directly connected. The existing
terminal equipment such as analogue phone, push button/rotary, G3 fax (TE 2)
modems, answering machines, cordless phones can be connected using a
terminal adaptor.
The narrow band ISDN which is also called as Basic Rate Access (BRA) has
two ‘B’ channels and one “D” channel (2 B + D) for carrying voice/data in B
channels and control signals in the form of messages in bit rate in D channel.
Primary Rates Access (PRA), has 30 B channels and 1 D channel (30 B + D).
The new technology exchanges can provide both 2 B + D and 30 B + D.

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New Technology Familiarization (ISDN)

The rate of transmission on the B channel is 64 kbps for voice/data. By

putting 2 B channels and 1 D channel, the rate of which is 16 kbps, the
capacity of the line at the customer end may be made powerful enough to
carry 144 kbps which is faster then the normal 2.4 kbps or 9.6 kbps rates
prevalent in the data circuit. Data transmission is approximately 9 times
faster, in ISDN lines using data terminals, than the I-NET connected terminals.
The charging on ISDN line is only on duration basis compared to data
transmission charged on both quantum (per kilo segment of data) and duration
basis. ISDN will hence be economical for data transmission.
Ordinary video conferencing between desktop monitors at two distant ends is
possible with the picture of calling party and that of the called party appearing
simultaneously on the screens of both monitors. Here the transfer rate of bits
is 128 kbps, that is, both the B channels are used for a call.
High quality video conferencing on dial up basis between any two ISDN
customers at 384 kbps using three ISDN lines, is also possible. In addition to
video image of participants, still pictures of documents and drawings can also
be transmitted. Video images can be sent or received on auxiliary equipment
such as VCR. Using a control panel the video camera can be zoomed at the
local end as well as at remote end.

384 kbps
H0 – ch ISDN Exchange unrestricted ISDN Exchange
(384 kbps = 64 kbps x 6

TE TE

Teleconferencing S/T Common channel S/T Teleconferencing

terminal signaling network terminal
D-ch

Interactive services, conversation (video), message (data) and retrieval

(audio), of high quality are aimed at in the PRA – ISDN services which offer

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30 channels at the disposal of subscribers. Distribution of High Definition

Television (HDTV), high speed communication and multimedia
communications are other features of the primary rate access ISDN.

Emerging Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) such as Fiber Distributed Data

Interface (FDDI) are possible as the transmission media gets upgraded to high
quality optical fibre using digital solutions such as synchronous digital
hierarchy (SDH).

• Calling line identification presentation (CLIP) : On an

incoming call, the calling subscriber’s number is displayed on the
ISDN phone before the call is answered. When engaged, if a second
call arrives, it is displayed giving a choice to the subscriber to answer
it.
• Calling line identification restriction (CLIR) : By this, the
calling subscriber can prevent the presentation of his number to the
called subscriber.
• Advice of charge (AOC) : Continuous display and updating of
the call units to be charged for the call is available on the screen of a
digital phone.
• Multiple subscriber number : Up to 8 terminals can be
connected on the subscriber premises wiring with separate numbers
with 3 mandatory Directory numbers.
• Call forwarding service (CF) : Calls to a subscriber can be
forwarded to another number under different conditions – busy, on
answer and unconditional.
• Terminal portability (TP): During conversation one terminal
can be removed from the socket in one place and connected to another
socket in a different place, holding the call.
• Call hold (CH) : During conversation it is possible to hold at least
two more calls. Toggling between calls is also allowed.

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• Closed user group (CUG) : Companies with offices in different

cities can have their ISDN number in a closed user group and work
like PABX.
The customer premises equipments are standardised by the Telecom
Engineering Centre under the BSNL and approved for use by customers.
BSNL will provide only a network terminal (NT 1) at the subscriber’s
premises. Other equipments are to be bought/provided by the subscriber.
The subscribers presently owning separate lines one each for telephone, fax,
data transmission and telex, may now dispense with these by converting only
one of the lines into ISDN and connecting all their terminals enjoying two
simultaneous calls.
BSNL has completed the network synchronization with CCITT No. 7
signaling to enable national connectivity. The Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited
will enable international connectivity.

Now, X-ray image of the patients can be sent over telephone lines from remote
hospital to specialty medical centres for expert diagnosis and on-line advice.
For banks and industry, transmission of information of facsimile at a high rate
of 64 kbps is advantageous. This is 9 times the highest speed possible now.
Application of ISDN in video conferencing has the potential to reduce
traveling by business executives as they can ‘inspect’ a remote site work from
their chamber.

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