And coincidently today's news:
Advanced Technology Platform for Broadband Data Services
LOS ANGELES, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- An integrated, end-to-end
solution for ultra-high-speed, two-way data delivery on cable systems
was announced today by Zenith Electronics Corporation (NYSE: ZE).
The system combines the public networks software based on the
Windows NT server network operating system developed by Microsoft
Corporation (Nasdaq-NNM: MSFT), internetworking technology from Cisco
Systems Inc. (Nasdaq-NNM: CSCO), and Zenith's ultra-fast cable modems.
Operating as much as 1,500 times faster than today's fastest
telephone-based modems, the system will provide a "seamless approach
for the smooth integration of data services on cable systems," said
Kathy Wolfe, division vice president and general manager, data products,
Zenith Network Systems.
Craig Mundic, senior vice president, Microsoft consumer platforms
division, said, "Zenith's end-to-end approach, which builds on its
strong position in the cable modem business, paves the way for mass
deployment of high-performance, industry standard broadband data
delivery."
The Microsoft public networks platform, announced this week, allows
network operators the flexibility to choose open, interoperable software
and hardware for their network infrastructures in meeting their business
and residential needs.
The platform builds on the Windows NT Server network operating
system with the Internet Information Server, "Catapult," a proxy/caching
server and the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser. In addition to the
Microsoft network management and data platform, an integral part of this
Zenith ultra-high-speed cable modem architecture is the internetworking
software provided by Cisco Systems Inc.
Zenith and Cisco have ported the Cisco Internetwork Operating System
(Cisco IOS) software to Zenith's cable system architecture. The Cisco
IOS software ensures robust and reliable internetworking expertise for
connecting LANs and WANs, including the Internet.
Cisco also will provide routers, switches and Cisco IOS software
that will enable headends to receive data at 45 Mbps over T3
telecommunications lines. This provision of high-speed internetworking
equipment at the headend will relieve the bottleneck between the cable
operator and switched public telecommunications networks.
Zenith's ultra-high-speed cable modems, delivering up to 40 megabits
per second of data on a 6-MHz cable channel, complete this "very
efficient and flexible bandwidth-on-demand system that gives cable
operators the tools they need to provide high-speed data services to
thousands of subscribers simultaneously," Wolfe said.
"With our new end-to-end Internet access solution cable operators
will be able to serve many more subscribers and offer more advanced
multimedia applications, including work-at-home, very high-speed
Internet access and videoconferencing," she said. |
