Tuner Shortage Hammers Cable-Modem Shipments
nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com
April 7, 2000 (TAIPEI) -- As a result of a shortage of tuners, the key component of cable
modems, local related producers such as Askey Computer Corp. stand to make fewer than
expected deliveries in the second quarter of this year.
Askey churned out 7,000 or so units of cable modems last month, a first-quarter delivery
volume far lower than expected. However, having gained several types of authentication
for its products and having received a growth in orders for cable modems, Askey stands
to see its modem deliveries top 15,000 units a month in the second quarter, more than
double the first-quarter figure.
Unfortunately, Askey's delivery goal is being imperiled by an increasingly severe
shortage of tuners. Askey predicted that the turner shortage would emerge most seriously
in April and May, when its tuner inventories can satisfy little more than half its orders.
In order to make up this supply gap, tuner manufacturers are already stepping up their
production. They generally expect the supply shortage to improve significantly by the
end of May, and to satisfy demand in June.
The tuner transforms signals between cables and personal computers. Before the
introduction of cable modems, the turner was only one of the TV-set components. The
current major turner suppliers are domestic-appliance multinational companies such as
Sharp Corp., Toshiba Corp., and Thomson Tubes Electroniques.
(Commercial Times, Taiwan) |
