VLSI modem development and the race towards V.fast

The CCITT's pending V.fast recommendation for modem communication at data rates as high as 28.8 kb/s will advance the state of the art nearly to the theoretical capacity of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Because it will set the standard for modem communication indefinitely, V.fast ultimately will have to encompass the advanced coding and equalization techniques needed to tap the full capacity of the public network. The author examines the primary technical issues surrounding V.fast in relation to VLSI modem development. The discussion addresses implementation complexity and the impact of V.fast signal-correction algorithms on DSP requirements. A technology overview is provided for background.<>