DOCSIS Certification Pace Slows

It looks like it will be an up-and-down year for CableLabs' approval of new tech equipment. In its latest certification wave, the cable industry's R&D consortium appears to have put its stamp on just one new piece of gear, a DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem from Toshiba. Specifically, CableLabs certified Toshiba's PCX3200 model during Certification Wave (CW) #35, which concluded last week. The Toshiba modem joins the Arris TTM402P Phase 2, another DOCSIS 2.0 modem that CableLabs actually certified last month during CW #34 but counted as an early CW #35 certification. The slow third certification wave of the year follows a sluggish first wave that saw CableLabs approve just three devices and a bustling second wave that saw the consortium pass 17 products. CableLabs officials say they expect to see the cycles continue to fluctuate wildly now that they are staging eight certification waves a year, twice as many as in years past.