Patent ID: 7136397

Claim:
A network system for delivering bi-directional digital subscriber loop (xDSL) services to a plurality of subscribers connected to a Distribution Center by an existing Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) twisted wire pair infrastructure, the network system comprising: a first aggregator separator system provided proximate the Distribution Center and operably coupled to a plurality of broadband service systems via the Distribution Center that aggregates xDSL services from the plurality of broadband services and destined for the plurality of subscribers as an outward radio frequency stream and that separates xDSL services received from the plurality of subscribers as an inward radio frequency stream into separated xDSL services which are delivered to the plurality of broadband services; and a second aggregator separator system provided at a location remote from the Distribution Center and remote from the plurality of subscribers and operably coupled to each of the plurality of subscribers by a twisted wire pair drop line in the existing POTS twisted wire pair infrastructure that aggregates xDSL services from the plurality of subscribers and destined for the Distribution Center as the inward radio frequency stream and that separates xDSL services received from the plurality of broadband services as the outward radio frequency stream into separated xDSL services, each of which is delivered to one of the plurality of subscribers by the corresponding twisted wire pair drop line in the existing POTS twisted wire pair infrastructure for that subscriber; and a high speed link between the first aggregator separator system and the second aggregator separator system that is separate from the POTS twisted wire pair infrastructure over which the outward radio frequency stream and the inward radio frequency stream are communicated, wherein each aggregator separator system further includes: a plurality of first modules that each group a number of analog signals of the xDSL services to form a sub-channel of the corresponding radio frequency stream that is aggregated by the aggregator separator system; an up-converter module to multiplex the plurality of sub-channels formed by the plurality of first modules into the corresponding radio frequency stream; a down-converter module to de-multiplex the corresponding radio frequency stream that is separated by the aggregator separator system into a plurality of sub-channels; and a plurality of second modules that each derive a number of analog signals of the xDSL services from a corresponding one of the plurality of sub-channel de-multiplexed by the down-converter module.