Integrated access device
Encyclopedia
An Integrated Access Device (or IAD) is a customer premise device that provides access to wide area network
s and the Internet
. Specifically, it aggregates multiple channels of information including voice and data across a single shared access link to a carrier or service provider PoP
(Point of Presence). The access link may be a T1
line, a DSL connection, a cable (CATV) network, a broadband wireless link, or a metro-Ethernet
connection.
At the PoP, the customer's aggregated information is typically directed into an Add-drop multiplexer
or an MSPP (multiservice provisioning platform), which are complex and expensive devices that sit between customers and the core network. They manage traffic streams coming from customers and forward those streams to the PSTN (voice) or appropriate wide area networks (ATM
, frame relay
, or the Internet
).
An IAD is sometimes installed by the service provider to which a customer wishes to connect. This allows the service provider to control the features of the access link and manage its operation during use. Competitive service providers are now offering access services over a variety of access technologies, including wireless optical (i.e., Terabeam) and metro-Ethernet networks. Old telco protocols and transport methods (T1 lines and time division multiplexing) are replaced with access methods that are appropriate for the underlying transport. Because of this, the provider will usually specify an appropriate IAD, or install an IAD.
SIAD will aggregate its IP data traffic and GSM ATM traffic at the cellsite passing it along to the multi-service routers sitting in front of mobile switching center (MSC).
It will aggregate the cell site traffic and forward to the MSN.
Wide area network
A wide area network is a telecommunication network that covers a broad area . Business and government entities utilize WANs to relay data among employees, clients, buyers, and suppliers from various geographical locations...
s and the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Specifically, it aggregates multiple channels of information including voice and data across a single shared access link to a carrier or service provider PoP
Point of presence
A point of presence is an artificial demarcation point or interface point between communications entities. It may include a meet-me-room.In the US, this term became important during the court-ordered breakup of the Bell Telephone system...
(Point of Presence). The access link may be a T1
Digital Signal 1
Digital signal 1 is a T-carrier signaling scheme devised by Bell Labs. DS1 is a widely used standard in telecommunications in North America and Japan to transmit voice and data between devices. E1 is used in place of T1 outside North America, Japan, and South Korea...
line, a DSL connection, a cable (CATV) network, a broadband wireless link, or a metro-Ethernet
Metro Ethernet
A Metro Ethernet is a computer network that covers a metropolitan area and that is based on the Ethernet standard. It is commonly used as a metropolitan access network to connect subscribers and businesses to a larger service network or the Internet...
connection.
At the PoP, the customer's aggregated information is typically directed into an Add-drop multiplexer
Add-drop multiplexer
An add-drop multiplexer is an important element of an optical fiber network. A multiplexer combines, or multiplexes, several lower-bandwidth streams of data into a single beam of light...
or an MSPP (multiservice provisioning platform), which are complex and expensive devices that sit between customers and the core network. They manage traffic streams coming from customers and forward those streams to the PSTN (voice) or appropriate wide area networks (ATM
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Asynchronous Transfer Mode is a standard switching technique designed to unify telecommunication and computer networks. It uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing, and it encodes data into small, fixed-sized cells. This differs from approaches such as the Internet Protocol or Ethernet that...
, frame relay
Frame relay
Frame Relay is a standardized wide area network technology that specifies the physical and logical link layers of digital telecommunications channels using a packet switching methodology...
, or the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
).
An IAD is sometimes installed by the service provider to which a customer wishes to connect. This allows the service provider to control the features of the access link and manage its operation during use. Competitive service providers are now offering access services over a variety of access technologies, including wireless optical (i.e., Terabeam) and metro-Ethernet networks. Old telco protocols and transport methods (T1 lines and time division multiplexing) are replaced with access methods that are appropriate for the underlying transport. Because of this, the provider will usually specify an appropriate IAD, or install an IAD.
SIAD will aggregate its IP data traffic and GSM ATM traffic at the cellsite passing it along to the multi-service routers sitting in front of mobile switching center (MSC).
It will aggregate the cell site traffic and forward to the MSN.