Digital Loop Carrier Tutorial

This tutorial-level presentation of digital loop carrier (DLC) technology is for both nontechnical readers and the technically versed who lack network applications experience. It describes DLC technology with a focus on the primary motivations for its development. Other topics include a comparison to channel bank technology, the organization of DLC technology in North America, and a comparison of universal digital loop carrier (UDLC) and integrated digital loop carrier (IDLC) technologies. The concluding topic illustrates a functional equivalence between DLC and fiber-in-the-loop technologies. Although three generations of DLC technology have brought an abundance of features and capabilities, this paper sticks to the basics to remain instructional. Discussion is limited to North American DLC technologies.