Method and system for estimating the ability of a subscriber loop to support broadband services

A method for testing a subscriber loop to determine if it can support broadband transmission comprising the steps of:

• establishing a connection between a subscriber modem, through the telephone network, followed by a digital line from the network to a remote modem to a remote computer having a processor;
• initiating voiceband transmission tests between the subscriber modem and the remote modem;
• estimating, at the service provider location, the performance of the subscriber loop in the asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) band based on the voiceband transmission test results;
• and
• providing the results of said voiceband transmission tests to a service provider.

A system for testing a subscriber loop to determine if it can support broadband transmission comprising:

• a first modem coupled to the subscriber local loop;
• an originating office coupled to the subscriber local loop;
• and
• a loop qualification system connected to said originating office, said loop qualification system comprising a second modem coupled to a loop qualification service provider computer through a digital line coupled to said originating office, means for extracting the voiceband frequency response roll-off based on initial negotiation information captured and stored by said first and second modems, and means for estimating broadband transmission performance based on the voiceband far-end echo loss and received power level captured and stored by said second modem during initial modem negotiation.

A system for testing a subscriber loop to determine if it can support broadband transmission comprising:

• a first modem coupled to the subscriber local loop;
• an originating office coupled to the subscriber local loop;
• and
• a loop qualification system connected to said originating office, said loop qualification system comprising a second modem coupled to a loop qualification service provider computer through a digital line coupled to said originating office, means for extracting the voiceband frequency response roll-off based on initial negotiation information captured and stored by said first and second modems, and means for estimating broadband transmission performance based on the voiceband far-end echo loss and received power level captured and stored by said second modem during initial modem negotiation;
• wherein said service provider computer comprises:
• means for acquiring identification information about the subscriber;
• means for accessing a database having the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the subscriber;
• means for accessing a noise estimator having the capability to calculate the subscriber loop ingress noise based on the subscriber longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates;
• and
• means for storing the subscriber loop ingress noise and the subscriber identification information.