> Spotlight

Smaller, Lighter, Less Expensive: Narad's FTTxSWITCH

Narad Networks released its next generation switch, the FTTxSWITCH. It is smaller, lighter, less expensive and requires less power than the company's current switch, according to the company. Ops can flexibly provision up to 10 ports in the FTTxSWITCH for fiber transmission, RJ45 Ethernet for wired or wireless connections, and coaxial cable using Narad's Ethernet-over-Coax technology.

The FTTxSWITCH is said to conserve spectrum on the fiber running from the metro loop to the node — thus greatly extending the usable life of these fiber resources and delaying or avoiding costly plant upgrades. It also can be flexibly configured to operate at varying plant depths and can be used at the HFC node location, in the trunk, at the curb as a multitap, or in the customer premise, including both commercial and residential uses. At the node, the fiber forward capability of the FTTxSWITCH is said to allow ops to run fiber deeper into the node.

Narad also says that the switch provides important scalability advantages. Data capacity out in the plant is delivered in up to 10 Gbps increments. In the headend, 10Gbps of switched access only requires a single 10 Gbps interface card in the headend Ethernet switch. Competing solutions reportedly may require 100s of rack units of headend equipment to terminate all the end users of 10Gbps of capacity.

Playing the CableCARD for Residential or Hotel PPV

A fully-automated process permitting the use of CableCARDs for residential and commercial/hotel PPV applications was introduced by Cabil Corp. Automated control of CableCARD subscriber orders for PPV, program tiers and/or HD service package upgrades is currently operable on a national basis though HITS/NAS (where Cabil Corp. has been operating since 1999), as well as standalone Motorola/DAC systems, both locally and regionally connected.

"While hotel PPV is a significant application ripe for CableCARD usage, residential and condo customers otherwise unable to order PPV/HD events (including regional and college sports), movies and adult fare also represent immediate opportunities for operators to capture those revenues — all without any additional capital equipment expenditures," Cabil President Leonard Sabal says.

> Engineering, Management and Training Services

NCTI to Deliver Instructor-Led VoIP Training to Buckeye

NCTI will provide Buckeye CableSystem with custom instructor-led training on VoIP. The job-specific installation and repair training will be delivered to approximately 50 technician and network operations employees in Buckeye's Toledo and Sandusky, OH, locations.

NCTI will provide classroom training in half-day sessions over the course of four days. NCTI also will develop student manuals for session attendees. The training will cover an introduction to VoIP technologies, installation of MTAs or EMTAs, inside wiring and wiring topologies, installation of VoIP service in houses with security systems and troubleshooting of twisted-pair wiring.

NCTA Issues Call for Tech Papers

NCTA announced its annual call for technical papers to be presented during The National Show, and published in The 2006 NCTA Technical Papers.

Submissions will be juried by a panel of top industry technologists chaired by Dan Pike, CTO of GCI Cable. Proposals are due by Dec. 12. Any topic of interest to broadband cable and telecommunications engineering professionals is eligible. For further information and a list of suggested topics, visit www.thenationalshow.com/technicalpapers or email technicalpapers@ncta.com.

> Distribution

Moto Enters the Mobile Workforce Handheld Fold

Motorola recently entered into the commercial off-the-shelf rugged handheld mobile computing market with its HC700-L. The handheld features Intel's Xscale processor, a color touch-screen display, an omnidirectional area imager for ID/2D barcode imaging, both WiFi and Bluetooth communications capabilities and it operates on the Microsoft Windows Mobile platform.

The HC700-L is said to be ideal for individual field users and work teams in need of mobile data applications such as remote data base inquiries, job ticketing and field service, sales force automation, asset management and inventory management. In early 2006, Motorola will introduce additional models in the HC700 line that will offer an array of communications options to provide enterprise customers with numerous choices for their mobile operator service.

> Transport Platforms and Solutions

Xtend Rolls Out Symmetrical T1 Solution in SC and PA

Hargray Communications, a cable op serving South Carolina markets, has deployed Xtend Networks' solution for the delivery of symmetrical T1 (1.544 megabits per second) services over HFC networks. The op is using Xtend's T1 solution in its Beaufort and Bluffton, SC, systems to backhaul its own cellular traffic from towers to the cable headend, over its existing coaxial plant. Hargray and Xtend also are working to develop other telco-grade apps designed to help the op capitalize on serving the small to medium business (SMB) market.

D&E Communications, which provides voice, video and data to communities in central Pennsylvania, will also deploy Xtend's solution for the delivery of symmetrical T1 services over HFC networks.

VoIP Inc. and TCS Extend E911 Power

VoIP Inc. and TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) have partnered for the delivery of E911 services for VoIP service providers.

According to VoIP Inc., its VoiceOne is the industry's first private network 911 service for broadband and packet communications. There are five redundant entry points for 911 calls to enter the network through the Internet or private peering. These entry points are strategically placed geographically to provide the shortest path for a phone call originating anywhere in the country. Once the call is received on the VoiceOne network, TCS is queried to analyze the registered location of the caller for the proper delivery to a PSAP, call center or other emergency location. Based on the destination of the location required to deliver the call, it is maintained on the private VoiceOne MPLS backbone, providing "better call quality and redundancy for transport, compared to other solutions utilizing the Internet for call delivery."

> Next-Gen Voice

Broadcom Unleashes VIPER Chip

Broadcom is producing its newest voice over cable modem system-on-a-chip (SoC). The solution is said to significantly improve system performance while reducing the delivery cost of broadband voice and data services via cable networks.

The BCM3368 chip incorporates the company's new VoIP on Enhanced RISC (VIPER) processor architecture. Leveraging the integration of technologies in the VIPER processor, primary multiline voice solutions can be implemented without the costly and complicated dual processor, dual memory architectures used in all prior voice over cable modems. Additionally, the VIPER architecture is said to simplify the development of VoIP solutions, reduce the development costs of DSP programming and reduce time-to-market. This level of integration and performance reduces the component count on primary multi-line voice over cable modems by more than 20%, and thus leads to more cost-effective solutions and overall improved reliability, according to Broadcom.

> Advanced Video and Interactivity

Adelphia Continues to Roll With Broadbus

Broadbus Technologies announced six new successful deployments with Adelphia, passing more than 2 million homes. Adelphia selected Broadbus' solid-state VOD servers for new deployments in Staunton, VA; West Palm Beach, FL; Loudon, Virginia/Frederick, MD; Augusta, ME; South Dade, FL and Canton, GA. Broadbus reports it now powers one-third of Adelphia's VOD streams.

Time Warner, Adelphia Go To Gotuit for VOD

Since January 2005, Gotuit's advanced VOD products have surpassed 1 million plays at Time Warner Cable New England. Additionally, Adelphia extended its partnership with Gotuit to bring Music On Demand, News On Demand and Sports On Demand to the op's digital subs in the Western New York area.

Gotuit On Demand technology is a navigation platform that combines segment metadata with on demand video content. It allows digital subs to personalize their viewing experience, and access the parts of a program in which they are most interested, without having to watch the program in its entirety.

Charter Continues Its Moxi Moves

Charter reached the 100,000-unit milestone in the deployment of Digeo's Moxi Media Centers. The op has deployed its DVR with Moxi offering in markets serving more than 85% of its 2.7 million digital customer base, with plans to launch in additional markets before the end of the year. Charter rolled out its new Moxi multi-room DVR service in St. Louis — the first of several markets — on August 31.

BendBroadband Taps Grass-Valley for All-Digital

BendBroadband in central Oregon selected the Grass Valley ViBE suite of products to support its transition to an all-digital network. While BendBroadband video customers will reportedly notice enhanced viewing quality immediately, the transition to an all-digital network using ViBE encoders will also enable BendBroadband to recover bandwidth to support the introduction of more advanced services.

The ViBE encoder line is a family of video encoders, decoders, multiplexers and related signal processing products that help cable ops manage their distribution channels. Mega Hertz coordinated the sale.

Tandberg Pockets GoldPocket

TANDBERG Television said it will acquire GoldPocket Interactive Inc. (GPI). GPI develops and sells products and services that create, manage and deliver digital and interactive media. The company specializes in ITV systems used across digital TV, the Internet and wireless/mobile networks.

> The Digital Home

High-Def IP Set-Tops Check In

Eagle Broadband received and delivered the first orders for the company's MediaPro IP5000HD high definition IP set-top boxes to Cox Business Services, for its Hospitality Network brand, an in-room guest video and data technology service offered to the hotel-gaming industry. Cox will use the boxes to enable HD movies and music-on-demand, high-speed Internet access, an interactive television guide, electronic concierge services, online checkout and other guest services.

> Network Management, OSS and Software

C-COR Extends CableEdge With New Web Service Connector

C-COR expanded its CableEdge Solution Suite with the introduction of the Web Service Connector, a new Web-based internal portal that is said to increase an op's efficiency by offering a single integrated interface for monitoring, analyzing and verifying high speed data services and infrastructure in real-time. UPC Broadband, Liberty Global's European distribution operation, is deploying the Web Service Connector in Europe over the coming months.

The Web Service Connector is said to streamline the integration with third-party apps by providing an open interface to both real-time and historical data elements of the DOCSIS network that can be incorporated into consumer call center applications. The tool brings together performance and fault management information with call center data, thereby reducing the possibility of service disruption to end users in the home, according to C-COR. The Web Service Connector addresses the performance needs of both centralized and distributed organizations, which reportedly allows the op to reduce truck rolls, increase support technician productivity, and improve customer satisfaction.

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