Broadcom Announces Industry’s First Front-End Cable TV Set-Top Box Chip With Integrated Channel Bonding Technology

Broadcom Announces Industry's First Front-End Cable TV Set-Top Box Chip With Integrated Channel Bonding Technology

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in wired and wireless broadband communications semiconductors has announced the industry's first front-end cable TV set-top box chip with integrated channel bonding technology. Channel bonding is a DOCSIS® 3.0 feature that dramatically increases the transmission speed of a cable TV network, enabling multi service operators (MSOs) to migrate to an all- Internet Protocol (IP) network platform. Addressing voice, video and data, the all-IP network enables MSOs to provide significant benefits such as additional cable and local broadcast channels, content flexibility and improved network efficiency.

New Channel Bonding Technology Dramatically Increases Cable TV Transmission Speed, Opening the Door for New Cable IP Services

Channel bonding combines several DOCSIS channels together to significantly increase data rates when compared to the speed of today's cable modems. Announced today is the new Broadcom® BCM3255 set-top box chip that incorporates this channel bonding technique. This new chip can support up to 120 Megabits per second (Mbps) downstream data rates, enabling next generation media centers to support an all-IP network platform, such as Comcast's RNG family of devices.

Moving to an all IP-based platform for voice, video, and data content helps to decrease MSOs network operating costs while enabling the network to support fast high-definition video downloads, high bit rate services and other IP voice and video services.