HomePNA-based chipset delivers 190 Mbit/s to apartment buildings and hotels

TEL AVIV, Israel & NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CopperGate Communications, Ltd., the Everywire Home Networking Company™has announced the CopperGate CG3210M chipset. It is the next generation HomePNA-based solution for multi-dwelling units (MDU) and hospitality applications. This state-of-the-art solution delivers up to 190 Mbit/s of IP traffic and is a third of the price for DOCSIS 3.0-based solutions to deliver the same throughput.

To achieve such high performance, CopperGate has doubled the communications bandwidth of the chipset. This enables twice as many apartments to communicate with each master device, resulting in a 50% lower cost per apartment. Now, more than 60 end points in apartments or hotel rooms can be supported with a single master device. In addition, the new solution is optimized to work in older infrastructure often found in emerging markets.

The application uses the existing coax infrastructure and is known as Ethernet over Coax (EoC). In markets with large numbers of MDUs, such as China, solutions that use existing wires are essential.

“Service providers and systems integrators trying to deliver low-cost broadband access or triple play services in urban areas are looking for a lower-cost, higher-performance alternative to DOCSIS- and DSL-based solutions,” explained Gabi Hilevitz, CEO, CopperGate Communications. “Now, service providers don’t have to install new wires to deliver HDTV, Internet, and VoIP traffic to multiple apartments. This new solution saves on installation time and costs, eliminates customer hassles from drilling in cement walls to install CAT-5, and co-exists with satellite TV, broadcast TV and other services. It has the best cost/performance, by far, of all the existing technologies in the market.”

Hilevitz reported a remarkably high level of interest from service providers and systems integrators in the new HomePNA-based networking technology because of its unparalleled performance, robustness, and excellent economics. Five device manufacturers have plans to develop customer-premises equipment (CPE) and master units using this new technology. It is currently in field trials with service providers in four countries.

“The biggest benefit of the new CopperGate solution is it allows MSOs to quickly ramp up premium service offerings such as HDTV, VoIP, and very high speed Internet to residents without the tremendous cost for retrofitting with CAT-5,” said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with Parks Associates. “This new product will be particularly well-positioned in Asian markets because of the rapidly-growing middle class of consumers who are seeking these amenities for their apartments.”

The new CopperGate MDU solution increases service providers’ profits by enabling them to:

• Reduce initial capital expense. Save on up-front capital outlays by tying build-out investments with customer adoption.
• Tailor services per customer. Customize the bandwidth or services down to the apartment to optimize average revenue per user (ARPU).
• Protect content. Ensure only paying customers can access subscription content.
• Reduce installation times. See the entire network and quickly provision services for customers.
• Facilitate interactive services. Enable bi-directional communications, making it easy to add interactive services such as TV shopping.
• Decrease post-installation support costs. Diagnose and repair the network remotely and diminish the need for truck rolls.
• Deploy in lower quality infrastructure. Reliably run over less-than-perfect networks.

The CopperGate CG3210M chipset and an evaluation board are available immediately.

About CopperGate

CopperGate Communications is the only company whose standards-based chipsets enable carrier-class distribution of broadband digital content over all three types of existing wires in the home: coax, phone, and power. The company sells its technology to OEMs who build solutions for multimedia home networking and multi-dwelling unit (MDU) broadband access markets. CopperGate's chips are used in set-top boxes, residential gateways, optical network terminators and Ethernet bridges deployed by four of the top five telcos in North America who are deploying IPTV. Founded in 2000, CopperGate is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel with offices in the United States, Taiwan, Korea, China, and Japan. Please visit: http://www.copper-gate.com

CopperGate and CopperGate Communications, the Everywire Home Networking Company and the CopperGate Emblems are trademarks or registered trademarks of CopperGate in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are believed to be trademarks of their respective owners.

Contacts

CopperGate Communications

Michael Weissman, 510-656-8500

Michael_w@copper-gate.com

or

Rainier Communications

Sue Myers, 978-369-6336

smyers@rainierco.com