The system of the present invention comprises a system for implementing a real time capability in peripheral devices. The system of the present invention functions with a computer system including a processor, a memory, and a video controller, each coupled to a system bus. A USB (universal serial bus) controller is also coupled to the system bus for interfacing peripheral devices on a USB cable to the computer system. A first and second register are included in the USB controller for storing a controller frame number and a controller frame remaining, and a second and third register are included in the peripheral device for storing a device frame number and a device frame remaining. The peripheral device is coupled to the USB controller via a USB cable. A screen reference register is coupled to receive the controller frame number and the controller frame remaining from the USB controller and is coupled to receive a reference signal from a video controller. In response to receiving the reference signal, the screen reference register stores the controller frame number and the controller frame remaining. The peripheral device transmits the device frame number and the device frame remaining to the computer system in response to the occurrence of an event. The controller frame remaining and the controller frame number are subsequently compared with the device frame remaining and the device frame number to determine a computer system time (e.g., a real time) of the occurrence of the event.

In combined systems of different radio systems, for example in a combined system of the radio access network (RAN) of the IMT-2000 system and the core network (MSC) of the GSM system, a problem exists in transferring encryption settings from a system element to the others. The present invention relates to a method of setting encryption for a connection in such a combined system, where the handling of the encryption settings of the switching centre (MSC) and the base station (BTS) of the radio network is carried out at different protocol layers than the handling of the encryption settings of the mobile terminals (MT). In the method, encryption is arranged for the connection between the radio access network (RAN) and the mobile terminal (MT), and an encryption setting is transmitted from the switching centre (MSC) to the control unit (BSC) of the radio access network (RAN). According to the invention, the method is characterized in that an encryption setting is transferred from the control unit (BSC) to the mobile terminal (MT) transparently from the point of view of the base station.

A bi-level framing structure for DSL phone systems uses 4 KHz physical frames and mux data frames. The mux data frames each start with a sync byte and contain user payload bytes. A group of mux data frames are appended with forward-error-correction FEC bytes to make a codeword. The codeword is then partitioned into physical 4-KHz frames. The physical frames are transformed by an inverse fast-Fourier transform (IFFT) outputting symbols at 4 KHz for transmission. For high line rates, each codeword has S mux data frames and S physical frames. There are also at least S FEC bytes if error correction is enabled. However, for lower line rates, there are S physical frames but only S/M mux data frames in each codeword. The efficiency factor M is 1 for high line rates, but 4 for lower line rates. Reducing the number of mux data frames reduces the number of sync bytes in a codeword, decreasing overhead. The FEC bytes are spread among more physical frames, reducing error-correction overhead. The symbol rate and the rate of physical frames remains at 4 KHz, even at the lower line rate. The smaller number of bytes per symbol at the lower line rates is compensated for by reducing the number of mux data frames per 4 KHz frame, allowing larger, more efficient mux data frames and error correction to be used. Thus bandwidth efficiency is increased for lower line rates.

A telecommunication system for providing a remote access connection having a bandwidth of 128 Kbps or 144 Kbps to any location (homes, small businesses, etc.) connected to a central office by a local loop, and higher bandwidth for some locations. The 128 Kbps or 144 Kbps is provided using ISDN Digital Subscriber Loop (IDSL) technology and higher bandwidth using other DSL technologies such as ADSL. Using shared equipment and transmission facilities, the present invention enables the high-speed remote access connections to be provided in a cost effective manner.

A telecommunication system for providing a remote access connection having a bandwidth of 128 Kbps or 144 Kbps to any location (homes, small businesses, etc.) connected to a central office by a local loop, and higher bandwidth for some locations. The 128 Kbps or 144 Kbps is provided using ISDN Digital Subscriber Loop (IDSL) technology and higher bandwidth using other DSL technologies such as ADSL. Using shared equipment and transmission facilities, the present invention enables the high-speed remote access connections to be provided in a cost effective manner.