What is Annex M?

The commonly available version of ADSL2+ in use in the Australian broadband marketplace today is called 'ADSL2+ Annex A' and it supports a maximum upstream data rate of around 1Mb/s.

ADSL2+ Annex M is a new, high speed mode of ADSL2+ which allows the upstream data rate to be increased beyond that Annex A limit.

Internode has worked for more than 12 months to have the Australian Network Deployment Rules changed to allow the use of Annex M mode in Australia. Annex M services are now available nationally from Internode on all direct Internode ADSL2+ port based SOHO and Business Extreme plans.

The upstream speeds practically achieved using Annex M depend on the same factors that impact downstream ADSL2+ speed - the length and condition of your phone line and the quality of your wiring (amongst others).

Typically achieved upstream speeds in our customer base at this time range up to about 2.5 Megabits per second, with typical speeds on good lines in the 1.6 to 2.2 Megabit per second range.

What are the benefits of using Annex M?

For any form of business connection requirements with ADSL (working from home, mounting office file server resources, sending outbound email, serving web pages or other data from a home or remote office), the main constraint to doing so is the upstream data speed available to you using ADSL.

"Standard" ADSL2+ (Annex A) allows a maximum upstream speed of around 1 Megabit. While this is far faster than the arbitrarily limited upstream speeds offered by a number of ADSL providers, business data transmission requirements often demand a higher upstream speed than this, to gain efficient productivity gains.

The use of ADSL2+ Annex M mode allows the available ADSL2+ upstream speed to be dramatically increased (typically to speeds of the order of 2Mb/s).

This means that common business operations over ADSL such as saving and sending files, and serving data, can occur at around twice the speed they could previously be achieved. The productivity benefits of this are obvious.

What are the requirements for using Annex M?

The following are the requirements for using Annex M ADSL2+ with Internode:

• You need to be using an Internode Extreme ADSL2+ broadband plan, on a SOHO or BUSINESS plan. Annex M is not available on HOME plans.
• You need to be connected to an Internode DSLAM port, capable of ADSL2+ mode, not to a Telstra Wholesale or "Naked ADSL2+" port.
• You need to be using an Annex M compatible ADSL2+ device on your line and you need to enable Annex M mode in that device
• You should then just select an Annex M profile in the Internode Extreme port profile changer.

What does it cost to use the ADSL2+ Annex M high speed upstream mode?

Internode offers access to the ADSL2+ Annex M connection mode on all SOHO and BUSINESS ADSL plans at no extra cost.

What customer-side ADSL2+ devices support Annex M mode?

You can use Annex M with any device approved for use on the Australian network in Annex M mode.

Many devices available in Australia today that support the Annex M ADSL2+ protocol, and the number of devices that do so is increasing steadily.

Examples of devices that support Annex M ADSL2+ at this time are:

• All Billion Routers currently sold by Internode. Note that previous 7402/7404 models do not support Annex M.
• All OPEN Networks Routers currently sold by Internode. Note that the previous OPEN Networks 624 model does not support Annex M.
• We have observed that current firmware in Linksys WAG54G routers also supports Annex M.
• The Cisco 877-M-K9, 877-M-SEC-K9 & 877-WGA-M-K9 Integrated Services Routers. Note that previous Cisco 877 models (without the 'M' suffix) do not support Annex M.

How do I turn on Annex M mode for my Internode Extreme ADSL2+ service?

Providing that you meet the requirements for doing so (see previous entry in this FAQ), what you should do is:

1. Log in to the ADSL Profile Changer.
2. On the profile selection screen, you should see two new items, ADSL2+ Annex M Standard and ADSL2+ Annex M High Speed. These are the Annex M profiles available to you.
3. Select one of those profiles and 'commit' the change.
4. Configure your ADSL2+ modem to allow an Annex M connection if it is not already set to do so.

(for instance, on a Billion 7404VGP-M, go to the modem web status screen, scroll down and click on the 'ADSL' link, and then use the pull-down item at the top of the next page to select ADSL2+ Annex M mode. Don't forget to save your configuration after this change)

• Wait for 10-15 minutes for the profile changer to... change your profile, and then reset your ADSL modem and it should come up in ADSL2+ Annex M mode.

IMPORTANT: If your modem does not achieve an Annex M line sync, it may negotiate a standard Annex A connection, or it may fail to connect at all.

If you are unable to re-establish ADSL line connectivity after following these steps, please return your modem configuration to Annex A modem, and/or return your service to a standard ADSL2+ profile via the profile changer web page, and seek support from Internode.

Remember: You can return to a standard profile by dialing in and using the Profile Changer menu again as noted above, or you can call Internode support and ask the Helpdesk to select a standard ADSL line profile (e.g. ADSL2+ Standard) for you.

If I want to turn it off, how can I do that?

When you are using an Annex M profile, note that Annex A mode also remains fully supported - our DSLAM can auto-negotiate to either mode, depending on what your ADSL2+ router asks it to do.

If you do want to turn Annex M mode off and be certain that it is off, just go back to the profile changer and select a standard line profile, and/or change your modem configuration to disable Annex M support at that end.

What upload sync speed can I expect from Annex M?

Our observations in practice are that customers often achieve upstream speeds in the range of around 1.3Mb/s up to about 2.5 Mb/s.

Customers on very short/very high quality lines may be able to exceed 2.5Mb/s; Customers on very long lines may find little or no improvement in sync speed compared to Annex A.

What constraints can limit my Annex M upload speed?

In addition to the 'normal' things that limit the possible upstream sync speed from Annex M connections (length of line/line attenuation, wiring problems at the customer premises, etc), there is one more constraint that is additional in Annex M mode compared to 'conventional' (Annex A) ADSL2+

The Network Deployment Rules for Annex M are more complex than those for Annex A. In particular, to keep the amount of 'crosstalk' (network interference caused by Annex M and Annex A ADSL2+ services in adjacent copper pairs in network cables) from becoming unacceptable, there are some additional constraints in Annex M mode that we must apply.

Those constraints require that we assess the line attenuation on your service, and based on that attenuation, we select the range of permitted Annex M connection modes. In some cases this means that your achieved upstream speed may be slower than you may expect, for reasons related to these network deployment rules.

Those rules are not modifiable - they are the basis on which it is legal to deploy Annex M in Australia.

What impact does Annex M have on download sync speeds?

The point of Annex M mode is that because of the asymmetric nature of ADSL2+ speeds (i.e. that the downstream speed is so much higher than the upstream speed), each megabit you gain on upstream gains you more benefit (has a larger proportional impact) in overall terms than the megabit in speed you 'lose' on the downstream path.

The approximate answer is that the theoretical trade-off is about 1:1 - i.e. whatever increase in upstream speed will result in a matching decrease in downstream speed.

That said, there are reasons why the trade-off may be worse than 1:1. This means that you may see a greater drop in downstream sync speed than you gain in upstream speed.

In practice, with some modems and lines, we have also observed an improvement in both download and upload speeds in Annex M mode, which in theoretically impossible, but which in practice is likely to be due to Annex M router firmware improvements compared to existing Annex A ADSL firmware. In a nutshell, if your speeds rise in both directions, don't be concerned - be happy!

If I need support or I have feedback for Internode, how do I submit that?

Please submit requests for technical support in the usual way.

If you have a support query specific to Annex M, please put the words ANNEX M in the subject line of your support email, to ensure that we can more efficiently pass your information/requests to the staff internally who are responsible for Annex M support.

How did Annex M become available?

The ability for Annex M ADSL2+ to be used in Australia has been driven by a decision made by Internode, in 2005, to start driving the standardisation of this access method with the Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF). Through extensive administrative and technical work, in conjunction with our consultants and with other members of the ACIF, the appropriate changes to the Network Deployment Rules have been developed, tested, ratified, and Registered, to allow Annex M to be used in Australia.

Full legal Registration of the appropriate network deployment rules occurred on 16 November 2006.