Broadcom Corp. said yesterday that it has the industry's first DOCSIS 3.0/Euro-DOCSIS 3.0-based chipset with advanced line rate capabilities for next-generation cable modem termination systems (CMTSs).

Broadcom said Cisco Systems is slated to use one of Broadcom's newly announced DOCSIS 3.0 chipsets in its next-generation CMTS equipment.

Broadcom's new CMTS chipset works in conjunction with its BCM3380 – which Broadcom said is the industry's first fully integrated cable modem solution for DOCSIS 3.0/Euro-DOCSIS 3.0 applications that was also announced yesterday – to provide an end-to-end platform for enabling interactive services over broadband cable services, with reverse path speeds of up to 160 Mbps and downstream speeds of up to 400 Mbps.

By bonding four downstream channels, current DOCSIS 3.0 implementations could eventually reach 160 Mbps, but so far speeds of 100 Mbps have been reached in limited tests by cable operators.

"Broadcom's new DOCSIS 3.0 CMTS chipset enables cable operators to cost-effectively upgrade their headend equipment to manage faster line speeds for interactive services requiring symmetrical upstream and downstream bandwidth," said Ernie Bahm, senior director of CMTS product marketing for Broadcom's Broadband Communications Group.

"These products, in conjunction with the BCM3380 cable modem solution, provide a complete end-to-end DOCSIS 3.0-based silicon solution with advanced capabilities that enable cable operators to economically and reliably expand their broadband services to support high-value interactive applications for both residential and commercial customers," Bahm said.

The new Broadcom modems feature eight downstream DOCSIS channels, which cable operators could use for high-speed data and voice modems, media servers and fixed mobile convergence platforms.

Broadcom said the BCM3380 family of cable modem offerings meet or exceed the minimum requirements for the DOCSIS/Euro-DOCSIS 3.0 standard. The single-chip BCM3380 silicon devices are backwards compatible with prior DOCSIS 2.0, 1.1 and 1.0 specifications, and Broadcom said they go beyond the DOCSIS 3.0 specification to provide advanced features, such as bonding support for up to eight simultaneous DOCSIS channels.

"DOCSIS 3.0 solutions like this are supporting the industry's evolution from broadband to wideband," said Comcast CTO Tony Werner. "As we develop more advanced services with the need for higher bandwidth, it will be a big advantage to have advanced modems that can support faster speeds than the minimum that today's DOCSIS 3.0 specification provides."

More Broadband Direct:

• Obama team urges delay in digital TV transition

• Comcast, Panasonic connect to build HDMI-CEC-based set-top boxes

• Cisco goes after home audio networking

• Broadcom serves up DOCSIS 3.0-based chips for CMTSs

• Verizon lowers prices for CDNs, subscribers

• Dish Network unveils `Slingloaded' TV recorder

• DirecTV files for arbitration over Comcast's sports costs

• Netflix partners with Vizio to stream movies to HDTVs

• Audiovox to expand availability of TV on the road

• Broadband Briefs for 01/08/09