Telecommunications system for providing both narrowband and broadband services to subscribers

A telecommunications system, comprising:

• at least one shelf (34) for housing:
• a network termination card (12a ) for connection to a broadband network,
• a plurality of line termination cards (14) for connection to said network termination card by means of a backplane bus (78) of said shelf, and
• a plurality of upstream end lowpass filter cards (24) each for connection to a public switched telephone network,
• wherein each lowpass filter card is for connection to a corresponding line termination card for joining a plurality of telephony signals and a corresponding plurality of digital subscriber line signals at an upstream end (66) of a corresponding plurality of twisted copper pairs (36);
• and
• a plurality of subscriber terminals for location at a corresponding plurality of subscriber premises, each subscriber terminal for connection at a downstream end of a corresponding twisted copper pair for communication with a corresponding upstream end lowpass filter and line termination card over said corresponding twisted copper pair, wherein each subscriber terminal comprises:
• a downstream end lowpass filter (42) for connection at said downstream end of said corresponding twisted copper pair and for connection to a telephone (56) at a corresponding subscriber premises (54);
• and
• a digital subscriber line modem (72) also for connection at said downstream end (68) of said corresponding twisted copper pair for connection to a data terminal (76) at said corresponding subscriber premises.

A telecommunications system for providing both narrowband and broadband services to a plurality of subscriber premises, comprising:

• at least one shelf for connection to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and for connection to a broadband network for connecting said PSTN and said broadband network to said plurality of subscriber premises via a corresponding plurality of twisted copper pairs;
• and
• a plurality of subscriber modems for connection to said corresponding plurality of twisted copper pairs, wherein each of said twisted copper pairs is for providing an asymmetric digital subscriber line for providing both plain old telephone service (POTS) and digital channels, wherein said shelf comprises:
• a broadband network termination (NT) card for providing said connection to said broadband network;
• a signal bus connected to said NT card for transporting said digital channels;
• and
• a plurality of line termination (LT) cards connected to said signal bus, each LT card for connection to a plurality of said twisted copper pairs.