A VDSL-modem which is divided into an analog part which is placed in an optical node and a digital part which is placed in a local station. The analog part of the VDSL-modem includes an A/D-converter and D/A-converter, a filter, an amplifier, a hybrid/balun, an adaptive noise attenuator, an optical interface, and possibly an echo canceller. The digital part of the modem includes an FFT/IFFT-processor, a synchronizer, an equalizer, an interleaving unit, an error correction unit, a protocol manager, and an optical interface. The VDSL-modem simplifies synchronization of the modem and reduces power consumption in the optical node. A multiplexor function in the optical node in addition is simpler because it need not manage a protocol.