Broadcom hails certification of DOCSIS 3.1 CPE

Dan Marotta

A number of DOCSIS 3.1 products based on Broadcom’s BCM3390 cable modem silicon have achieved certification, according to the company.

Broadcom said that CableLabs, the US-based cable technology body responsible for certification, had performed testing on a number of Broadcom-powered modems and residential gateways to ensure full compatibility between DOCSIS modem and cable infrastructure products

The certified products include upstream splits for both North America and Europe including 204MHz and 85MHz.

Broadcom says that its system-on-a-chip meets the specification to increase network efficiency by up to 50%.

The company said that volume production of DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems and residential gateways based on the BCM3390 are expected to be available in the first half of this year.

The BCM3390 includes two OFDM 192MHz downstream channels, 32 single-carrier DOCSIS QAM downstream channels, multiple modulation profiles, two 96MHZ OFDM-A upstream channels, eight single-carrier DOCSIS QAM upstream channels, an upstream diagnostic analyser and full software support for packet cable voice and e-router applications including the emerging RDK-B specification.

“The speed with which the DOCSIS 3.1 specification and certification has been completed underscores the competitive landscape of offering Gigabit-speed services to residential subscribers,” said Dan Marotta, Broadcom executive vice-president and general manager, broadband & connectivity group. “Broadcom was first to lead the market with hardware for cable operators to expand their broadband services, and is now the first DOCSIS 3.1 silicon to receive CableLabs’ certification as well.”

Balan Nair, Liberty Global’s EVP and CTO, said: “Our customers expect us to stay ahead of the curve in providing the latest broadband services and content. Broadcom’s smooth passage through the DOCSIS 3.1 certification process helps the cable industry continue on this journey as we all look to new ways in which we can deliver our customers an even better experience.”