Louisville, Colorado, November 13, 1998—Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs®) has selected Broadcom Corporation and Terayon Communication Systems to author a detailed technical proposal and specification on the next generation physical layer technology for possible integration into the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS).

The next generation physical layer is an important extension for DOCSIS because the robustness of these types of technologies will enable more cable systems to deliver higher speed two-way cable services, and will allow cable companies to increase the data capacity of their networks. By including an advanced physical layer to DOCSIS in creating the DOCSIS 1.2 specification, the cable industry will add more advanced technologies to the modem specification. The 1.2 technology will co-exist with earlier iterations of DOCSIS technology.

Additional authors may be asked to contribute to the proposal. Vendors with field-proven solutions, who participate in the specification drafting process, will have to agree to contribute their technology to the DOCSIS royalty-free pool, as Broadcom and Terayon have done.

This effort recognizes the work of the IEEE 802.14, which, at its recent meeting, voted to adopt a combination of Broadcom's Advanced Frequency Agile (TDMA) technology and Terayon's synchronous code division multiple access (SCDMA) technology as the basis for its advanced physical layer standard. Meanwhile, the cable television industry's DOCSIS process, which is managed by CableLabs on behalf of its member companies, also has been considering extensions to its specification for delivery of high-speed data over cable networks.

The DOCSIS Certification Board will consider the technical proposals as a basis for the extension of the DOCSIS specification. If adopted, the proposals will become part of the draft specification as DOCSIS 1.2. The proposals then will be made available for comment by organizations participating in the DOCSIS specification process.

Dr. Richard R. Green, President and CEO of CableLabs, stated, "DOCSIS 1.0 is proving to be a very solid and successful specification for deployment of the first standard interoperable cable modems now being introduced to the retail market. Its success is the result of close collaboration between the cable operators, CableLabs, and suppliers to the cable industry."

The DOCSIS 1.2 specification is targeted for publication the first quarter of 1999, with certified products expected to be available the first quarter of 2000. This specification will be a further extension to DOCSIS 1.1, which adds features, including quality of service enhancements, to better support advanced services within the DOCSIS architecture. The DOCSIS 1.1 specification is expected to be published in early 1999, and certified products are expected to be available the third quarter of 1999. DOCSIS 1.0 products from multiple suppliers are currently in the final stages of certification.

About CableLabs: Cable Television Laboratories (www.cablelabs.com) was founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry. A non-profit research and development consortium, CableLabs delivers innovations that enable cable operators to be the providers of choice in their markets. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains additional web sites at www.cablenet.org and www.ebif.tv.

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