Broadcom Gets CMTS Chip Customers

IRVINE, Calif. -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), the leading provider of silicon solutions enabling broadband communications, today announced the industry's first DOCSIS(R)/Euro-DOCSIS(TM) 2.0-based CMTS chipset to enable 40 Megabits per second (Mbps) symmetrical interactive services over cable networks. ADC Telecom, ARRIS and Cisco Systems are planning to use Broadcom's new chips for their next-generation CMTS DOCSIS 2.0-based equipment.

The DOCSIS 2.0 specification adds advanced digital modulation capabilities to cable modems and headend equipment, enabling cable companies to triple the speed of the return (or upstream) path of their DOCSIS 1.1-based networks. Differing from competing solutions, Broadcom's chipset is the only CMTS solution that offers advanced line rate capabilities in the return path of up to 40 Mbps, which is beyond the maximum specified DOCSIS 2.0 line rate of 30 Mbps.

The improvement in performance resulting from Broadcom's chipset will enable cable operators to cost effectively upgrade their headend equipment to manage faster line speeds for interactive services requiring symmetrical upstream and downstream bandwidth. These new services include secure virtual private networks (VPNs) for telecommuters, full-featured IP telephony, videoconferencing, local web hosting, and peer-to-peer networking applications, such as those provided by Windows XP(R) instant messaging features, music downloads and file sharing. With reliable, symmetrical network services using equipment based on Broadcom's advanced DOCSIS 2.0-based CMTS chipset, cable operators will also be able to broaden their customer base to include commercial businesses.

"Broadcom's new DOCSIS 2.0-based CMTS chipset complements our existing BCM3348 DOCSIS 2.0-based cable modem chip, which has been widely adopted by the industry and is being used by top suppliers of DOCSIS 2.0 certified modems," said Rich Nelson, Vice President of Marketing for Broadcom's Broadband Communications Business Unit. "These products provide a complete end-to-end DOCSIS 2.0-based silicon solution with advanced capabilities that will enable operators to economically and reliably expand their broadband services to support lucrative interactive applications for both residential and commercial business customers."

Broadcom's CMTS chipset consists of the Broadcom(R) BCM3214 QAMLink(R) media access controller (MAC), the BCM3140 QAMLink Dual A-TDMA/S-CDMA burst receiver, and the BCM3040 QAMLink modulator. Broadcom's TurboQAM(TM) technology enables upstream line rates of up to 40 Mbps and downstream operation up to 100 Mbps. The chipset also incorporates support for Broadcom's unique packet-acceleration software, Propane(R), which greatly enhances the upstream throughput of the cable network. With these advanced data rates, cable operators will be able to deliver more broadband services at a lower cost while conserving valuable equipment space in the headend.

Broadcom's CMTS chipset also provides advanced ingress and impulse noise mitigation technologies for both A-TDMA (advanced time division multiple access) and S-CDMA (synchronous code division multiple access) modes -- the two communication technologies required by the DOCSIS 2.0 specification. With these capabilities, operators can utilize the full capacity of their networks with the ability to deliver reliable, fast interactive services even when using a plant spectrum below 15 MHz, which is typically not used today for high-speed services.

Broadcom Corp.