Broadcom Announces World's First Single-Chip Cable Modem Solution
New Chip Enables Next-Generation Cable Modems to Provide Telephony and Quality of Service over the Cable Network
Irvine, Calif. - September 21, 1998 - Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a leading developer of integrated circuits enabling high-speed broadband communications to the home and business, today announced the availability of the industry's first single-chip communications solution for cable modems. Broadcom's integration of all of the cable modem media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) transmission functionality into a single chip, will allow its customers and end-users to substantially benefit from the lower cost, smaller size and improved features of next-generation cable modems. Cable modems with Broadcom's single-chip solution will also allow cable operators to provide current and future subscribers with advanced services, including telephony over the cable network. This cable modem technology will enable existing coax cable networks to deliver data, digital video, telephony and Internet access at speeds up to 56 megabits-per-second (Mbps), which is 1000 times faster than standard 56k voice-band modems.
"Broadcom's single-chip solution represents a significant milestone in the evolution of cable modems," said Dr. Henry Nicholas, Broadcom's President and CEO. "Developing an entire communications system on a chip allows us to drive down costs while increasing functionality for our customers. This chip will enable manufacturers to deliver advanced, standards-based cable modems at very attractive consumer price points. Cable operators are now in a very competitive position to provide high-speed Internet access over cable, and, by offering features such as telephony over cable, they can generate profitable new revenue streams."
Next-Generation Cable Modems
The new Broadcomr QAMLinkTM cable modem chip, the BCM3300, is fully compliant with the Multimedia Cable Network Systems (MCNS) Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) version 1.0 and will support next-generation modems with the following advanced features:
Advanced Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities, which allow cable operators to offer multiple access speeds at different price points.
Fragmentation, which supports the ability to provision constant bit rate services for applications such as cable telephony and videoconferencing.
Support for multiple destination addresses and multicast filters to support "push services," such as stock tickers, news, and sports scores, by cable operators.
Support for North American, European and Asian physical layer transmission standards.
"With the BCM3300, Broadcom has leapfrogged the integration path of its competitors to retain its leadership position in cable modem silicon. With its additional features, high level of integration, and low price, this chip paves the way for not only the next generation of less expensive cable modems, but a whole new class of interactive devices that utilize the cable network," said Allen Leibovitch, Senior Analyst, Semiconductor Research at IDC.
Broadcom's Cable Modem Roadmap
The single-chip solution is the latest milestone in Broadcom's cable modem roadmap and integrates the functions of the current cable modem chip-set -- the BCM3116 QAMLink Demodulator, BCM3037 QAMLink Burst Modulator, and BCM3220 QAMLink MAC. Broadcom will continue to produce these chips, which are currently shipping in production volumes for MCNS/DOCSIS 1.0 cable modems.
BCM3300's Feature Set
Broadcom's BCM3300 integrates a 64/256-QAM receiver, a 4/16-QAM transmitter and an MCNS/DOCSIS 1.0 MAC with enhancements into a single chip. The integrated receiver supports downstream data rates up to 56 Mbps, and the integrated transmitter supports upstream data rates up to 20 Mbps. The integrated MAC supervises the upstream and downstream functions as specified by the MCNS/DOCSIS 1.0 MAC protocol, including advanced QoS and fragmentation capability. The integrated MAC also includes baseline privacy encryption/decryption for Internet security with 56-bit DES Cipher Block Chaining.
Broadcom has incorporated many advanced features into the BCM3300. The device integrates a multi-mode ITU-T J.83 Annex A/B/C compatible forward error correction (FEC) decoder in the receiver and a programmable MCNS/DVB/DAVIC FEC encoder in the transmitter. A digital demodulator, Nyquist filters, tracking loops, and an adaptive-decision feedback equalizer are incorporated into the receiver, and a pre-equalizer filter is in the transmitter.
The chip interfaces to multiple low-cost, industry-standard CPUs, including the MIPS CPU, an architecture that was recently licensed by Broadcom. For improved performance and ease of manufacturing, Broadcom also incorporated an analog front-end into the BCM3300. The downstream receiver includes a programmable gain amplifier and a 10-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, and the upstream transmitter incorporates a 10-bit digital-to-analog (D/A) converter and a programmable attenuator.
Supporting Reference Design
To facilitate the design of cable modems based on the BCM3300, Broadcom has developed the BCM93300 cable modem reference design. The BCM93300 is a fully operational cable modem reference design that supports all of the MCNS/DOCSIS 1.0 PHY and MAC protocol functions, as well as the advanced features incorporated in the BCM3300. The BCM93300 provides interfaces for 10Base-T Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Voice over IP (the ability to send voice over the cable network using Internet Protocol) and video teleconferencing implementations. In addition to these interfaces, the reference design incorporates Broadcom's BCM3300, an RF Tuner with diplex filter, the CPU and memory onto a compact 6 x 8 inch board, thereby reducing the size and complexity of cable modems by one third.
BCM3300's Pricing and Availability
The BCM3300 is available today in sample quantities. The device is packaged in a 256-pin ball grid array (BGA) and is priced at $50 in 10,000 piece quantities. The BCM93300 reference design is also available today.
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a leading developer of highly integrated silicon solutions, which enable broadband digital data transmission to the home and within the business enterprise. Using proprietary technologies and advanced design methodologies, the company has designed and developed integrated circuits for some of the most significant broadband communications markets, including the markets for cable set-top boxes, cable modems, high-speed networking products, digital broadcast satellite, terrestrial wireless and digital subscriber line (xDSL). Broadcom is based in Irvine, California, and can be reached at 949-450-8700 or at broadcom.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This release may contain forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future events or results to differ materially and adversely from those described in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom include, but are not limited to the volume of product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; the loss of a significant customer; the timing of customer qualification and industry interoperability certification of new products; the rate of adoption by customers and end-users of new and emerging technologies in the high-speed data networking, cable set-top box, cable modem, direct broadcast satellite, terrestrial wireless and digital subscriber line (xDSL) markets; the rate of adoption and acceptance of new industry standards in the foregoing markets; the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies from other vendors; delays in the specification or design of new products; fluctuations in manufacturing yields and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of products; uncertainties associated with international operations; the Company's ability to retain and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees; problems or delays in achieving higher levels of design integration and in migrating product designs to smaller geometry processes; intellectual property disputes; changes in product or customer mix; the company's ability to develop, introduce and market new products and technologies on a timely basis; the quality of the company's products; the level of orders received that can be shipped in a quarter; the effects on operations and management of facility relocations; general economic conditions and market conditions in the markets addressed by Broadcom; and the other factors discussed in the Company's filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Amendment No. 6) and Final Prospectus dated April 16, 1998 and the Company's subsequent quarterly filings on Form 10-Q. Broadcom disclaims any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by it or on its behalf.
Broadcom is a registered trademark of Broadcom Corporation.
QAMLink is a registered trademark of Broadcom Corporation.
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