Assia Inc. is extending its DSL services to Layer 2 with optional software that was part of the DSL Expresse 2.5 launch on Monday.

So far, the company's technology has only checked a DSL connection at the physical layer, and that left some problems open. Specifically, certain modems or firmware weren't able to re-establish a Layer 2 connection after undergoing physical-layer changes, says Jerome Joanny, ASSIA's senior director of product management.

DSL Expresse can now check a modem to predict if this problem will come up. The software has to be customized for particular manufacturers' modems, so the feature is an optional one.

Why this matters
Layer 2 capabilities could open up a new group of diagnostic capabilities for ASSIA. One possibility -- which Joanny discussed with Light Reading but did not say is imminent or even certain -- would be to track bandwidth-usage trends to help operators with network planning.

For more
Some recent coverage of ASSIA's work:

• AlcaLu Speeds Up Its VDSL2
• ASSIA Bigs Up Its Mobile App
• New Services Set for Rural Carrier Rescue

... and a video demonstration of Assia's mobile app, another feature of DSL Expresse:



— Craig Matsumoto, West Coast Editor, Light Reading