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• Where Cable Ends, Wireless Begins Wireless solutions providers have elevated their status in the HFC world with proven, cost-effective technologies that wirelessly extend the network. The solutions could make MSOs a competitive broadband force in commercial and government markets that have previously been dominated by the telcos.

Products

Sunrise AT1800RQS Scores Top Marks in Diamond Reviews

Correction: We inadvertently left the Sunrise Telecom AT1800RQS out of the electronic version of the Diamond Technology Reviews story, which ran over the last two issues of "Broadband Gear Report" We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. The system's review runs below.

The Sunrise Telecom AT1800RQS CATV spectrum/QAM/DOCSIS/sweep measurement system scored 4.5 out of 5 Diamonds in BGR's 2006 Diamond Technology Reviews.

The judges (senior level engineers from Bright House, Comcast, Charter, Technology Planners and Time Warner Cable) were more than impressed with the meter, and particularly liked the fact that it was already prepping for DOCSIS 3.0 requirements. "Truly a powerful piece of test equipment — very forward thinking by integrating workforce applications, ports for future apps and migration to upcoming DOCSIS standards. The AT 1800RQS meets virtually all HFC network analysis needs in a single meter," one judge said.

The AT1800RQS combines a SLM, spectrum analyzer, QAM analyzer, CALAN-based forward sweep receiver/reverse sweep transmitter and cable modem functionality in one meter. The unit also performs all FCC proof-of-performance tests. The Windows CE platform provides PC functionality and supports third-party apps such as workforce management, maps, GPS and signature recognition.

The AT1800RQS includes a true spectrum analyzer function, a QAM analyzer (the integrated dual band 6-8 MHz IF filters and Annex A, B, C compliance make it ideal for global applications), as well as a patented built-in filtering system and a noninterfering bidirectional sweep platform. It also is the only true field spectrum/QAM/sweep analyzer that integrates a DOCSIS 2.0 modem w/BPI+ manufacturer digital certificates. For more on the product, visit www.sunrisetelecom.com/broadband/at1800rqs.shtml.

Harmonic Gets Ultra With Wireless Backhaul

Harmonic Inc. introduced an ultra high capacity FLXLink wireless backhaul solution that allows ops to transport digital voice, data and video content to/from the wireless edge. The new FLXLink solution provides up to 10 times the service carrying capacity of the FLXLink T1/E1 system, offering more choice and flexibility in backhauling GSM, GPRS, 3G, WiFi and other wireless services. The new FLXLink with eight T1/E1 connections and a gigabit Ethernet port is said to be an ideal solution to carry advanced mobile applications. As with the other FLXLink CWDM-based products — a family which includes 100-Mbps and 1-Gbps systems as well as a version offering four T1/E1 connections and a Fast Ethernet (100-Mbps) port — the new FLXLink system is a "flexible, modular and reliable solution," Harmonic reports.

Miami in High-Def: Pace Rolls Out Its Latest All-Digital Box

Pace Micro Technology announced its latest all-digital set-top box, the Miami DC757 HD. The all-digital high-def box uses the latest generation integrated silicon, supports legacy applications, DSG (DOCSIS 2.0 set-top gateway), CableCARD for conditional access and the latest in EPG and VOD applications. According to Pace, the Miami box has extensive connectivity options, including HDMI, RF and "everything in between" to provide secure, digital audio and video links.

Pace also says that Miami supports 1394 5C protected interface, boasts "best-in-class" processing speed and memory capacity and comprehensive connectivity options for easy installation into even the most complex home theatre systems. Pace expects to present Miami to CableLabs for certification during the fourth quarter of this year.

Single-Box Solution for SMBs Touted by Cisco

Cisco Systems unveiled a single-box solution for cable ops selling services to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprises with branch operations. With the new Cisco integrated solution, MSOs will no longer need to provide two customer premise devices — a cable modem and a router — in order to deploy business services, according to Cisco. The Integrated Business Service solution consists of a Cisco 815 cable integrated services router (ISR) and Cisco high-Speed WAN interface cards (HWIC-CABLE-D-2 and HWIC-CABLE-E/J-2). This solution takes advantage of Cisco's portfolio of 3800, 2800, 1800 and 800 series of ISRs and provides ops with a suite of nine Cisco ISRs, all offering consistent instrumentation and management.

Casa Pushes Digital Video to the EdgeQAM

Casa Systems' EdgeQAM now supports switched digital video operations, providing performance and density — up to 64 channels — for open standards-compliant, dynamic allocation of switched digital video and on-demand in a one-rack unit chassis.

Providing a single edge platform for integrated services and applications, including switched digital video, stream intensive on-demand services like network PVR, and HD programming, the Casa EdgeQAM supports both video-over-MPEG today and video-over-DOCSIS tomorrow. Controlled by a Global Session Resource Manager and an SDV server, the C2100's resources can be shared among video services based on real-time network demand, rather than increasing QAM expenditures to meet projected demand.

All Out on Video Over Fiber: Alloptic Launches Five New Products

Alloptic launched a new family of products designed for the delivery of video services over a fiber infrastructure. The Edge Video family consists of five new products designed to work standalone, in conjunction with existing products, or as an enhancement to other PON products. The micro-node family of products includes wideband options for optical delivery from terrestrial based systems and support full, headend and protocol agnostic, return path capabilities. As part of the Edge Video family, Alloptic also introduced an array of laser transmitters, EDFAs and WDM passive optics designed to provide seamless, single vendor solution to assist ops as they migrate from HFC to a deep fiber infrastructure.

Arcwave Extends Its SMB Plays

Arcwave introduced ARCXtend MetroE, "the first wireless plant extension (WPE) solution for fiber networks." MetroE gives cable ops the ability to rapidly expand their Ethernet service coverage in the small- to medium-sized business (SMB) market, according to Arcwave. The solution consists of a pair of fully integrated outdoor radios that together form a low-latency, high-capacity transparent wireless link, enabling delivery of Ethernet and IP-based service without the fiber. The all-outdoor radios are purpose built to meet cable industry physical and environmental specs.

The solution supports point-to-point wireless links operating in the license-free 5 GHz band with a sustained throughput of up to 32 mbps at a range of up to three miles with up to 99.999% link availability. It also can be used in conjunction with hardened CWDM Fast Ethernet media converter technology to deliver high value optical Internet access service to up to 10 customer sites per fiber pair. Links are managed using ARCView network management software or SNMP, which support the equipment, link and Ethernet service management functions necessary for guaranteeing and managing commercial service level agreements.

Gallery IP Goes All IP, All the Time

Gallery IP Telephony launched two new offerings in the IP networking space:

1. End-to-end solution: Suitable for ops that haven't got a softswitch installed yet, or that are interested in an additional softswitch.
2. Stand-alone components: These meet the needs of ops that are interested in enhancing their solutions and upgrading the system to an all-IP environment while addressing all the issues related with the migration.

• BigBand Networks and NETGEAR announced successful integration of their products for channel bonding. This practice is designed to combine multiple downstream cable modem channels for higher broadband access speeds.
• Arroyo Video Solutions announced scalability enhancements to its on-demand solution. By combining Arroyo's Linux-based, video networking software with IBM System x366 products, the platform delivers more than 80,000 streams per rack, which is said to be the highest performance streaming solution available, and doubles the density of competing systems. Unlike proprietary standalone on-demand solutions, the combination of Arroyo and IBM technology allows any number of servers and racks to be networked together within a metro, regional or national topology, creating one large virtual server which has unlimited scalability.

• CacheLogic and RawFlow announced a technical partnership to provide a solution that delivers a scalable, high-bit-rate A/V live streaming to broadcasters that does not burden ISPs with the network congestion issues normally associated with traditional streaming and legacy P2P. RawFlow's Live P2P streaming ICD software has been integrated into CacheLogic's P2P caching products.

Feature: Wireless Steps Up to the Plate at SCTE's Expo '06

By Jeff Elliott

Like the kid who frequently gets passed over on the ball field when sides are chosen, the wireless industry has notoriously been left out of the infrastructure business by cable ops looking for partners that offer more established, tested and, for lack of a better description, "wired" technologies.

Perfecting its game in other markets, wireless solutions providers have recently elevated their status with proven, cost-effective WiFi and WiMAX technologies that extend the HFC network and stand to make MSOs a competitive broadband force in commercial and government markets that have been dominated by the telcos.

In May, Siemens Communications and Time Warner Cable set the stage for wireless solution providers' increased presence in the cable industry by demonstrating a converged fixed, mobile and WiFi solution operating on the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). A host of other wireless infrastructure providers followed suit at this year's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, adding to an increasing buzz about wireless' place in the HFC industry:

• Nortel demonstrated its WiMAX broadband access products as well as their wireless mesh solutions that combine in a full portfolio of both fixed and mobile wireless data access systems.
• Vyyo demonstrated its wireless backhaul capabilities that offer cable operators a cost-effective method of providing T1 links to mobile carriers over their established HFC networks.
• Lucent outlined its managed cable VoIP and mobile service offerings in which the company can host voice, video, data and wireless applications based on a variety of technologies, eliminating additional infrastructure costs for cable operators.
• Arris displayed its wireless solution marrying CMTSs with cable modems to provide full two-way fixed wireless voice and data broadband access.
• PCI Technologies highlighted its ZAP line of HFC-ready WiFi products that enable MSOs to deploy WiFi services over their existing HFC infrastructure.
• CableMatrix demonstrated how cable operators can take advantage of QoS-enhanced VoIP over WiMAX to penetrate low-density markets.
• VCom displayed its VistaMAX line of WiMAX/802.16 3.5 GHz base station transceivers for tiered residential Internet access, VoIP, cellular backhaul or enterprise data access.
• MediaCell presented the WirelessDrop system, a platform that enables MSOs to provide wireless broadband access over existing cable networks.
• Arcwave displayed its ARCXtend 5.8 GHz wireless plant extension system allowing MSOs to deliver VoIP, video and data to commercial customers near cable plants.

Where Cable Ends, Wireless Begins

The wireless message throughout Expo's educational sessions and exhibit hall was a rally cry for cable operators not to let physical boundaries keep you from entering lucrative commercial and government markets. "For the cable operator, infrastructure mesh is especially intriguing," Tony Filanowski, senior proposal administrator for Motorola, says. "Cable operators can now take advantage of wireless mesh networks to profitably deliver services to commercial and government customers."

But the new generation of wireless technologies has reinvigorated cable operators' competitive spirit as they rush toward the panacea of the voice, data, video and mobile "quad-play" arena as well. According to Filanowski, WiFi mesh networks not only provide the current practical means for cable operators to enter the wireless broadband market, but also create a unique opportunity for MSOs to dive headlong into mobility. "[Mesh networks] create opportunities to deliver services to mobile professionals such as real estate agents or construction sites," he says.

As part of its Seamless Mobility Solutions portfolio, Motorola introduced the Cable MESH wireless broadband solution based on the company's existing mobile broadband platform. The system will enable cable operators to utilize their existing HFC infrastructure to deploy WiFi coverage throughout metropolitan areas. Other company announcements from the show included:

• Fujitsu Network Communications and BelAir Networks announced that Fujitsu would provide metro wireless mesh deployment services to help cable ops, telecom carriers, utilities and municipalities to deploy WiFi mesh systems based on BelAir Networks' line of 802.11 infrastructure products.
• Azure Communications and Hitron Technologies announced that Hitron will provide its DOCSIS expertise to Azure's WiMAX remote base station technology.

Jeff Elliott is a freelance writer based in Denver.

Deployments

• Cox selected EGT encoders for digital simulcast projects in the Kansas and Arkansas regions. EGT reports that its encoding product line provides "an overall improved performance over traditional encoding architectures. This improvement translates to increased effectiveness of all downstream equipment, providing high video quality and significant bandwidth savings across the network."
• Broadbus Technologies and TANDBERG today announced that their integrated solution for VOD and advanced on-demand services has been deployed in more than 30 markets worldwide. The combined solution includes the open architecture of the TANDBERG OpenStream Digital Services Platform and Broadbus B-1 video server. Among ops that have used the solution are Adelphia, Charter, Comcast, Rogers, Time Warner Cable and others.
• Allen's TV Cable Service, a regional cable operator serving south central Louisiana, deployed Ciena's CN 4200 FlexSelect Advanced Services Platform to fortify its services infrastructure that was threatened by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which struck the Louisiana coast in the summer of 2005. In the immediate aftermath of the storms, ATVC ordered the CN 4200 and within eight days established point-to-point communications links for its affected business customers along the Gulf Coast.

The Playing Field

• SCTE elected SeaChange International's Yvette Kanouff chairman of the SCTE Board of Directors for the second consecutive year. Kanouff, SeaChange's SVP of strategic planning, last year became the first female chair in SCTE history, and also has served as director-at-large for the standards-setting body.
  
  Other board members elected included:
  
  
  • Western Vice Chair — Vicki Marts, Cox, Region 5 Director
  • Eastern Vice Chair — Steve Johnson, Time Warner Cable, Region 10 Director
  • Secretary — Tom Gorman, Charter, Director-At-Large
  • Treasurer — Bob Macioch, Time Warner Cable, Region 4 Director
  • Additional Executive Committee Member — Wayne Hall, Comcast, Region 11 Director
• Aurora Networks says it is now the world's third-largest supplier of advanced optical transport systems to the broadband cable market. To fulfill increased demand, the company has scaled up its staff, which includes the promotion of Yuval Schwartz from director to VP of Latin America sales. In January, Wim Mostert assumed the position of director of forward transport technologies. In this role, Mostert is responsible for expanding existing forward transport technologies, developing new alternative forward technologies for HFC N+X and Fiber Deep HFC N+0 architectures, and developing analog video FTTH systems.
  
  Aurora also hired Tom Fong to serve as executive director of advanced access technologies. Fong leads Aurora's expansion of existing "first-mile" technologies and development of new first-mile technologies on fiber and coax. David Sell joined the company in April as the marketing manager for optical transport products. His role includes developing, executing and supporting the worldwide marketing strategy for Aurora's analog and digital optical transmitters, optical amplifiers, and supporting equipment. Glenn Carley also joined Aurora in April as the new marketing product manager for optical node-based product lines. He is developing, executing, and supporting the worldwide marketing strategy for Aurora's Fiber Deep nodes, HFC nodes, virtual hubs, optical passives and supporting equipment.

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