s on loops under 3.5 miles (5.5 km), but because the technology supports the use of signal repeaters, users outside the range of ADSL can now be offered DSL service. Chapter 12 Broadband Access Alternatives G.SHDSL also offers improved reach, providing a 20% to 30% increase compared to HDSL and SDSL. On the average, G.SHDSL provides 3,000 feet (1 km) increased reach over previous symmetric technologies such as SDSL. To be fully appreciated, this has to be put into the context of the serving area: An increased reach of that amount translates to approximately 40% increase in coverage area. Of course, a greater serving area means more customers served, which means more revenue potential for service providers. Unlike SDSL, G.SHDSL is spectrally compatible with ADSL, causing little noise or crosstalk between cables, which means G.SHDSL can be mixed in the same cable bundles with ADSL, HDSL, HDSL2, and IDSL without much, if any, interference. This maximizes the deployment options available to service providers, allowing G.SHDSL and ADSL to be deployed from the same platform. G.SHDSL supports a wide range of business and residential applications that demand high bit rates in both the downstream and upstream directions. The voice and data applications that businesses can benefit from include the following: Multiline Voice over DSL (VoDSL)-VoDSL service typically provides 4 to 16 voice ports in addition to the data ports on the unit. VoDSL makes use of an integrated access device (IAD), which is a device that consolidates voice, data, Internet, and video services by using ATM over T-1/E-1 lines. Web hosting-G.S SHDSL can be used for Web hosting, where the Web server resides at the subscriber's premises, requiring a high-bandwidth connection in the upstream direction. Videoconferencing-With its higher data rate and symmetry, G.SHDSL provides for improved video quality as well as multiple videoconferences on the same line. Virtual private network (VPN) services-G.SHDSL can be used to provi- sion VPN services to interconnect