the threads been very quiet for a few days, so i thought i'd post this Docsis 3.0, CMTS pricing related news item from a few weeks ago.
BTW, what is the majority of current CMTS kit that VM use, and are their units half empty and so able to take these new higher density cards as this URLs seem to imply?.
at the very least , will this Plummeting price drop help VM buy more kit to install and releave the over subscribed Baguley/NW+ areas and kit...
http://www.lightreading.com/document...&page_number=1
"CMTS Downstream Prices Plummet
DECEMBER 28, 2007
Timing is everything.
Just as cable operators prepare to test and launch Internet services with speedier downstream capabilities, the top three providers of cable modem termination system (CMTS) gear -- Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board), Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS - message board), and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board) -- have developed, or are in the process of developing, new downstream-heavy modules that snap into their widely deployed CMTS chassis. Along with denser downstream footprints, these new cards are also having a profound effect on CMTS pricing.
CMTS downstream port prices are "dropping like a rock," says Patti Reali, an analyst with
Gartner Inc. In the early going, much of that trend, she notes, is being driven by Cisco and its development of a special module/linecard. That card, dubbed the Shared Port Adapter (SPA), fits into Cisco's flagship CMTS, the uBR10012.
But the story doesn't start and end with Cisco. Although the CMTS market leader can already point to trials and deployments for its downstream-heavy module, Motorola is gathering steam with its entry, the TX32. Meanwhile, Arris, which is
making a run at increased CMTS market share, tells
Cable Digital News that it has a new, specialized CMTS card in the making.
While the minimum configuration for Docsis 3.0 calls for the bonding of at least four upstream and four downstream channels, most operators are expected to begin their migration to 3.0-based services by bonding downstream channels.
...
"
....
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Cisco goes to the SPA
Although Cisco has different types of SPA products based on a common footprint, the one that matters in the case of denser downstream capabilities and channel bonding is its Wideband SPA.
One Wideband SPA can support
24 downstreams.
That compares to five downstreams (and 20 upstreams) in a traditional Cisco CMTS linecard.
..."
"
Motorola's TX32
Unlike Cisco, Motorola did not supply a CMTS for the first Docsis 3.0 test wave, but, like its CMTS competitor, the company is making progress with a new module for its flagship CMTS, the BSR64000, that aims to beef up the downstream and shrink costs on a per-port basis.
Introduced in June, the company' TX32, as the name implies, supports
32 downstreams.
That compares to just two downstreams (and eight upstreams) in a traditional linecard for the BSR64000.
Much of the tech development behind the TX32 can be traced to Motorola's acquisition in early 2006 of Broadband Innovations, a startup that made high-density, low-power Docsis 3.0-compliant upconverters. (See
Moto Deals Downstream Module and
Moto Buys RF Tech.)
..."
"As designed, the TX32 removes the upstream, and uses block upconversion techniques to
cram 32 downstreams in the same space as its typical 2x8 linecard.
In the block upconversion scenario, operators will be required to free up a contiguous slice of spectrum. This means that channels used for downstream bonding
must be physically next to each other along the spectrum.
Although this could be considered a drawback because
operators don't necessarily have that much free spectrum bunched together, the saving grace is that Docsis 3.0 modems can tune above the 860 MHz threshold. Those devices, therefore, could use 6 MHz channels that are produced from
an upgrade to 1 GHz or more. (See
Cox Makes 1 GHz Moves .)
..."
"
Arris getting down with denser downstreams
Arris, meanwhile, is answering the call with a higher-density card that packs in
16 downstreams. That card, which hasn't yet been announced formally, is in the "early trail stages," according to Stan Brovant, Arris's senior vice president of business development and marketing.
Arris has not pinpointed a commercial launch date for the new linecard, but the module was an "ingredient" of the CMTS the vendor supplied to CableLabs for the recently completed Docsis 3.0 Wave, Brovant says.
Brovant declined to assign a specific dollar amount to the effect the new card will have on downstream port pricing, other than to say
it would be "substantially cheaper" than what's offered by the legacy cards found in the C4 CMTS, which are configured for
12 upstreams and
two downstreams.
Those cards can be repurposed as upstream receivers for the emerging modular CMTS (M-CMTS) architecture.
"
The installed base is very important. We want to make sure the C4 is upgradeable to Docsis 3.0," Brovant says.
"The interest in higher density and channel bonding is worldwide," he adds. While Verizon's new symmetrical 20 Mbit/s has gained the attention of U.S.-based operators, MSOs abroad are trying to match the speeds offered by networks fed by both fiber-to-the-home and VDSL technologies. (See
Verizon Offers 20 Mbit/s Uploads.)
On the pre-Docsis 3.0 channel bonding front, Arris has scored some early wins with
Virgin Media (Nasdaq:
VMED -
message board) and Japan-based
Jupiter Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (J:COM) . (See
Arris, NTL Try 100 Mbit/s and
Japanese MSO Moves 160 Mbit/s.)
...
"
The path to the M-CMTS
Despite the early traction expected from this new breed of downstream-heavy modules for legacy CMTS chassis, their development marks just a step along the path toward a more advanced M-CMTS architecture.
Under that scenario, several components of the traditional CMTS -- including downstream and upstream -- will be separated out so they can be scaled independently and, as the theory goes, more cost-effectively.
While the "core" CMTS will handle the upstream, a new breed of edge QAM devices will supply the downstream capacity. Those "universal" edge QAMs are also being designed so they can share capacity and resources with other applications, including digital broadcast video, video-on-demand (VOD), and switched digital video (SDV). (See
Universal Edge QAM Market Heats Up.)
"Operators are taking a pretty sophisticated approach and identifying which architecture makes the most sense," Brovant says. Arris customers that have underutilized C4 CMTSs have been among those most interested in the company's new 16-downstream linecard, he adds.
...
"
and heres a url for your basic Arris Edge-QAMs
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6463304.html
"
...
As part of its switched-digital-video initiative, Comcast selected Arris as a supplier of equipment that can dynamically allocate bandwidth for multiple unicast applications.
The value of the deal was not disclosed. The Arris products covered under the contract are known as universal edge-
Quadrature-Amplitude-Modulation (edge-
QAM) systems.
Such universal edge-QAMs can provide bandwidth for multiple services, including switched digital video and video-on-demand, whereas traditional QAMs require channels to be dedicated exclusively to one service, like VOD.
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http://messages.yahoo.com/Business_%...frt=2&off=1#-1
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Re: CMTS prices 13-Jan-08 10:11 am
More to the pricing story than falling prices. EdgeQAM unit sales will more than make up for the price drop in CMTS chassis. Remember that Arris also shipped allot of chassis that were only 50% full and that leaves the door open for the higher margin cards to be sold into the installed base in 2008. D3 CMTS software upgrades will also aid in the revenue numbers come Q3. I'm thinking that D3 Touchstones will begin to be seeded in the field come Q2
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp...
While the "core" CMTS will handle the upstream, a new breed of edge QAM devices will supply the downstream capacity. Those "universal" edge QAMs are also being designed so they can share capacity and resources with other applications, including digital broadcast video, video-on-demand (VOD), and switched digital video (SDV)
"
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