GENERAL INSTRUMENT/ GI wins contract to upgrade
Buckeye Cablevision system
August 21, 1998
M2 PRESSWIRE via NewsEdge Corporation : * GI's
Gallium Arsenide technology selected by Buckeye
Cablevision for Toledo, Ohio System
General Instrument Corporation (NYSE: GIC) announced
today that Buckeye Cablevision has awarded GI the
Toledo, Ohio system upgrade. The 1,700-mile plant will be
upgraded from 450 MHZ to 860 MHZ two-way capability
during the next three to four years using GI's Gallium
Arsenide (GaAs) hybrid technology.
The system benefits of using GaAs MESFET hybrid
technology in GI's STARLINE 2000 series amplifiers
include: improved distortion performance, higher
compression point, lower noise figure, upgrades with
reduced amplifier respacing, greater channel loading,
greater reliability, lower installation costs, and reduced
maintenance due to fewer actives, and lower cost of
ownership.
Buckeye CableSystem's Toledo upgrade is designed to
provide extended bandwidth and two-way capability to
support Buckeye's new advanced service offerings
including digital television and high-speed Internet
access and a host of other communications services. To
enable these new services GI will provide Buckeye with
its: OmniStar fiber optic transmitters, SG 2000
opto-electronic nodes, GaAs Enhanced STARLINE 2000
Series of amplifiers, CFT 2200 advanced analog set-tops,
digital headend and GI SURFboard network hub and
cable modems. GI will also supplement its product
offering with its NETadvantage support services
including: quality conformance design checking,
downstream plant sweep, balance, and activation; and
testing and certification of the upstream path.
"Upgrading to GaAs technology will enable Buckeye to
increase revenue by adding more channels and offering
new subscriber services that require increased signal
levels, expanded bandwidth, and two way capability,"
said Bick Remmey, Senior Vice President and General
Manager of GI's Transmission Network Systems (TNS)
business unit. "Because Gallium Arsenide amplifiers
significantly improve network performance, fewer actives
are required in the network, which translates to lower
design, installation, maintenance, and operating costs for
Buckeye."
General Instrument has also supplied SURFboard
modems which provide Internet access at connection
speeds up to 50 times faster than a traditional 28.8 Ups
modem, giving operators a distinct advantage in the
growing Internet Service Provider (ISP) market and
subscribers the capability to quickly download complex
multimedia content.
"We selected General Instrument based upon its proven
track record and full range of products and services. GI
can offer us the latest technology, high reliability and
support, to create a highly reliable, two-way network that
can handle the latest broadband technology," said Jim
Brown, Buckeye's Director of Engineering. "With our new
two-way network, subscribers will be able to choose from
a greater variety of services, including change advanced
video services, Internet access and data options."
Buckeye Cablevision, Inc., is the largest cable firm
operating in the Toledo area, with approximately 130,000
customers in Toledo and 17 of its contiguous suburbs
and adjacent townships. With the systems upgrades,
Buckeye CableSystem, as the firm is known for marketing
purposes, will increase its offering from the current 60
channels to 126 analog channels initially, including 31
digital audio channels. Bandwidth is being reserved for
digital video channels in the future.
Buckeye was the first cable company in the country to
implement FM fiber optics to deliver entertainment
television and data transmission from the system
headend to three scattered hut. sites for delivery to
homes. It also was among the early industry leaders in
the use of AM fiber optics to provide a feed-and- return
link between the headend and hub sites.
Buckeye, founded in 1966, is believed to be the oldest
continuously owned large cable system in the country. It
is the 73rd largest system, and the 39th largest MSO. It
also operates systems in Sandusky, Ohio, and Monroe
Michigan. Buckeye is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Blade Communications, Inc., a Toledo-based firm which
also owns newspapers, telephone companies, and
broadcasting television stations.
General Instrument Corporation (NYSE: GIC) is a leading
worldwide provider of integrated and interactive
broadband access solutions, teaming with its business
partners to lead the convergence of the Internet,
telecommunications and video entertainment industries.
<<M2 PRESSWIRE -- 08/20/98>>
CONTACT: Dick Badler, VP, Corporate Communications
Tel: +1 215 323 1618
e-mail: dbadler@gi.com
Sharon Corbitt, Media Relations Manager
Tel: +1 215 323 1873
e-mail: scorbitt@gi.com
Fiona Egan, European Press Office
Tel: +44 (0)171 603 2123
e-mail: fegan@nch.co.uk
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