(PR NEWSWIRE) DJ: GI Wins Contract To Upgrade Buckeye Cablevision System
DJ: GI Wins Contract To Upgrade Buckeye Cablevision System
GI's Gallium Arsenide Technology Selected By Buckeye Cablevision
For Toledo, Ohio System
HORSHAM, Pa., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- 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(R) 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(R) fiber optic transmitters, SG 2000
opto- electronic nodes, GaAs Enhanced STARLINE(R) 2000 Series of amplifiers,
CFT 2200 advanced analog set-tops, digital headend and GI SURFboard(R)
network hub and cable modems. GI will also supplement its product offering
with its NETadvantage(TM) 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(R) modems which provide
Internet access at connection speeds up to 50 times faster than a
traditional 28.8 kbps 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(C), 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 hub 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.
Visit General Instrument at their Web Site _ gi.com
/CONTACT: Media, Sharon Corbitt, Director, Communications, 215-323-1873,
or e-mail, scorbitt@gi.com, or Investors, Dario Santana, VP, Investor
Relations, 215-323-1213, or e-mail, dsantana@gi.com, both of General
Instrument/
13:05 EDT |
