News

29 October 2009

 

Motorola adds GaN technology to extend fiber deeper into cable networks

Motorola’s Home & Networks Mobility business has announced the implementation of gallium nitride technology that extends the reach of its fiber deep portfolio of optical nodes and RF amplifiers. The firm says that it is integrating GaN inside its SG4000, BTN100, MBN100 and BLN100 optical nodes and its BT, MiniBridger and BLE RF amplifiers.

Motorola reckons that it therefore now provides the highest-available RF output levels for cable operators driving fiber deeper into their networks, resulting in a reduction of up to 20% in the number of active components in N+1 architectures. This allows operators to lower both capital and operational expenses, while reducing system powering requirements and increasing network reliability, reckons Motorola.

Cable providers are continuing to leverage cost-effective fiber deep technologies as they drive fiber deeper into hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks in order to deliver higher-throughput video and broadband services to subscribers. Motorola says that, by introducing extended-reach RF amplification, it is making it even more affordable to deploy fiber deeper in the network (by reducing the number of active components and their associated installation and operational costs). Also, the new technology minimizes the need for re-spacing amplifiers as operators upgrade to 1GHz and higher technologies, providing a significant cost benefit over existing technologies, it is reckoned.

“No other vendor can drive an RF signal as far as Motorola,” claims Joe Cozzolino senior VP & general manager for Access Networks Solutions at Motorola Home and Networks Mobility. This offers cable operators improved economics for driving fiber deeper into their networks while providing consumers with the advanced video and broadband services they demand, he adds.     

This means that cable operators can choose to serve more homes from a single node or install fewer amplifiers in the network (extending the reach of fiber more affordably in both cases). For cable operators, this translates into greater throughput for advanced services and more economical network deployment. For consumers, this offers the potential for both higher quality and a broader range of services.

Motorola says that its comprehensive fiber deep portfolio offers four key solution sets to help cable operators migrate fiber deeper into their networks: RF amplifier to node conversion; migration from segmentable node to optical hub node; multi-wavelength solutions; and extended-reach optical nodes and RF amplifiers.

Motorola has demonstrations of the technology at this week’s 2009 SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Denver (28-30 October).

Search: Motorola GaN

Visit: www.motorola.com