SEOUL, Korea, March 25, 2004 - Cisco Systems® Inc, today announced that Broadband Solutions, Inc.(BSI) will be the first to offer interactive TV(iTV) services for local cable operators utilizing CableLabs DOCSIS® Set-Top Gateway (DSG) and the market-leading cable modem termination system (CMTS) from Cisco®. BSI operates a centralized digital TV service infrastructure for local cable operators.
"We wanted to deploy new video services such as Web surfing, television-based selling (also known as t-commerce), e-mail, and online gaming and in contrast to traditional options, DOCSIS offers higher capacity, greater flexibility and an attractive price point," said Mr. Lee, Sang Yong, managing director of BSI. "We chose a Cisco solution because they are the first CMTS vendor to utilize DSG, we were able to take advantage of previous investments with only a software upgrade and their offerings for next-generation digital video networking enable us to easily and cost-effectively deliver new, profitable, and scaleable digital video services."
"The Korea digital Cable Forum, along with the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) - the regulatory organization in Korea, announced DSG adoption last year. DSG provides the cable industry with a great opportunity around the convergence of digital cable and Internet Protocol (IP)," said Cisco Hong Won Jun, RM of the Broadband Service Provider (BSP) team in Cisco Korea. "Video over DOCSIS appears to be the leading candidate for the cable industry's move to an 'all digital' generation. Benefits will include a simplified network architecture, improved data transport and management and optimized bandwidth and service potential."
Based on CableLabs OpenCableTM standards, DSG is a technology that bridges traditional video infrastructures with the next generation of video services. As part of the digital video infrastructure, theh DSG-based Cisco uBR7246VXR will receive return channel traffic from DOCSIS-enabled digital set top boxes (STBs). Using DOCSIS for transport simplifies the network protects hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) capital investments and reduces operating expenses. Unlike conventional use of the cable modem termination system (CMTS) as the aggregation point for high-speed data from cable modems, the Cisco uBR7246VXR CMTS, with DSG software, can be used as part of the cable operator's digital cable TV network, collecting return channel traffic from digital set-top boxes (STBs). More information regarding the Cisco CMTS can be found at: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns341/ns396/ns289/networking_solutions_packages_list.html.
BSI is in the process of testing its digital cable television offering and plans to fully deploy a complete portfolio of services by July, 2004. In addition to the Cisco uBR7246VXR Universal Broadband Router to support DSG deployment, their network also includes the Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Provisioning Platform and Cisco Catalyst® 6500, 4507R, and 3550 Series switches. BSI also uses Cisco CNS Network Registrar to manage STBs.
About Broadband Solutions, Inc.
Founded in February, 2001, BSI provides total solutions including system, content, software, hardware and other services for cable TV service operators to efficiently provide various digital cable TV and interactive TV services to its subscribers through Digital Media Center operation. For more information, please go to www.bsiasia.com.
