In a conventional adaptive echo canceller, an ADF(Adaptive Digital Filter) with TDL(Tapped-Delay Line) structure modelling the echo path uses the LMS(Least Mean Square) algorithm to compute the coefficients, and NET detector using energy comparison method prevents the ADF to update the coefficients during the periods of the NET signal presence. The convergence speed of the LMS algorithm depends on the eigenvalue spread ratio of the reference signal and NET detector using the energy comparison method yields poor detection performance if the magnitude of the NET signal is small. This paper presents a new adaptive echo canceller which uses the pre-whitening filter to improve the convergence speed of the LMS algorithm. The pre-whitening filter is realized by using a low-order lattice predictor. Also, a new NET signal detection algorithm is presented, where the start point of the NET signal is detected by computing the cross-correlation coefficient between the primary input and the ADF output while the end point is detected by using the energy comparison method. The simulation results show that the convergence speed of the proposed adaptive echo canceller is faster than that of the conventional echo canceller and the cross-correlation coefficient yields more accurate detection of the start point of the NET signal.