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Learning from copper

March 05, 2002

Video conferencing is on the rise. But the diverse options for the transmission of images and sound may be confusing. Thanks to SDSL, the project "digital classroom at the sickbed" shows how maximum performance is obtained using the existing copper wire infrastructure.

Whatever the OECD Program for International Students Assessment might say, students should be physically and mentally present in class, at least in most instances. A project undertaken by the schools department in Munich, Germany, has shown another way. Children who are obliged to remain in hospital for long periods of time can directly and interactively participate in classroom lessons through extremely fast data connections. The "digital classroom at the sickbed" project helps to keep the young patients integrated in their familiar classroom surroundings. Adding to the care provided by parents, the digital classroom helps to combat illness-induced isolation and supports the recovery process. Patients plug into their class via video conferencing and actively participate through a PC. They can watch what`s happening in the classroom, "raise their hands" electronically to answer questions or be called upon by the teacher. They can even chat with their classmates. Texts written on the blackboard, work documents and experiment setups are transmitted as pictures. Homework assignments can be sent via e-mail for review and correction.

The system has already successfully been tested at the Schwabing clinic in Munich and two local schools. It requires the use of the latest high-speed data transmission technology: xDSL. The x in front of Digital Subscriber Line stands for different transmission standards. What is deployed depends on the configuration of the user terminals, the length of the connection and the type, number and operating mode of the channels being used for images and sound. The abbreviations are H for high bit rate, S for symmetrical and A for asymmetrical. The engineers from Siemens, local network provider Mnet and the Fraunhofer Establishment for Communications Systems ESK choose to utilize SDSL technology for the aforementioned project. With this technology, data can be transmitted in both directions up to 35 times faster than with a conventional 57-kbps modem. The old copper cables do not have to be replaced by faster glass fibers either.

"This is a decisive point," explains ESK engineer Andreas Bittlinger. "The existing infrastructure of twisted-pair copper wiring has grown over the years into a very tightly meshed network. We are taking advantage of this established resource and trying to obtain the highest possible data transmission rates from it. Other projects, in contrast to ours, have failed due to the high cost of installing new fiber-optic cables." Further informations concerning this project can be found on the Internet at www.sdsl-trial.de.

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