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
Business Editors/High-Tech Writers
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 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 Broadcom(R) QAMLink(TM) 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:
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-- 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.
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"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, Calif., 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.
Note to Editors: Broadcom is a registered trademark of Broadcom
Corporation. QAMLink is trademark of Broadcom Corporation.
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CONTACT: Broadcom
Rich Nelson, 949/450-8700 (Technical/Customer Contact)
richn@broadcom.com
Laura Brandlin, 949/450-8700 (Trade Press)
lbrandlin@broadcom.com
Catherine Batchelor, 760/944-8933 (Trade Press)
batchelor@broadcom.com
or
Edelman PR Worldwide
Ray Ivatt, 650/968-4033 (Business Press)
raymond_ivatt@sv.edelman.com |
