BROADCOM DEBUTS INTEGRATED IP TELEPHONY FOR CABLE.

Broadcom Corporation, Irvine, Calif., a developer of integrated circuits enabling high-speed broadband communications to the home and business, has introduced one of the cable industry's first reference designs that integrates cable modem, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and full-motion IP videoconferencing functions into a single system. Broadcom's reference design, which is built around the Broadcom BCM3300 QAMLink Single-Chip Cable Modem, will enable manufacturers to easily incorporate IP telephony and videoconferencing capabilities into next-generation cable modems, external wall-mounted network interface units (NIUs), and cable-TV set-top boxes. These next-generation products will allow cable operators to provide consumers with a complete product-service offering of voice, data, and full- motion videoconferencing. The company is demonstrating the reference design at the Western Cable Show, which opens today at the Anaheim Convention Center.

"Robust IP telephony and IP videoconferencing capabilities in cable appliances will enable consumers for the first time to purchase toll-quality IP telephony services from their local cable operator," said Dr. Henry Nicholas, Broadcom's president and CEO.

"Broadcom continues to bring advanced, reliable technology to the cable industry," said Steve Craddock, vice president of New Media Development, of Comcast Corporation. "We are excited to see the company extend their expertise to support technology for IP telephony and videoconferencing capabilities. Broadcom's integrated cable reference design is an important step toward the development of IP based equipment from the cable industry."

The Broadcom BCM93300-IP Internet Protocol Telephony reference design is the industry's first dual-purpose solution that can support IP telephony and IP videoconferencing in the same system, using the Audacity Internet Telephony Processor (ITP) from 8x8, Inc. It is capable of supporting four lines of audio simultaneously with each line capable of supporting a different audio algorithm. The reference design supports G.711, G.722, G.723, and G.728 asymmetrical voice encoding and decoding as well as the Simple Gateway Control Protocol (SGCP) which is the core of the newly announced Media Gateway Control Protocol and the H.323 Internet telephony standard. For IP videoconferencing, Broadcom's reference design supports the H.323 standard operating at 384 kilobits-per-second (kbps) using H.263 video and G.711 audio compression.

As a contributing author of the PacketCable IP Telephony Specification, Broadcom has incorporated this on-going work into its reference design. The PacketCable IP Telephony Specification will provide a seamless interface to existing phone networks and give customers the same quality and services offered today by local carriers, such as call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, and three-way calling.

Manufacturers can incorporate Broadcom's reference design into cable modems, which can be used for Voice-over-IP (VoIP) or Internet applications. The four-line audio support function enables the reference design also to be used in external wall-mounted NIUs, which will allow cable operators to distribute up to four lines of voice and data traffic in one household. Manufacturers of next-generation cable-TV set-top boxes can also use the design, which will enable consumers to receive the additional services of telephony, Internet, and full-motion videoconferencing through their television.

The BCM93300-IP is a fully operational IP telephony and IP videoconferencing reference design. It includes a cable modem and an IP telephony and videoconferencing card. The cable modem function uses the Broadcom BCM3300 QAMLink cable modem chip, which supports fragmentation and enables the device to provision constant bit rate services for applications such as cable telephony and videoconferencing. The IP telephony and videoconferencing card incorporates the 8x8, Inc. Audacity ITP chip for audio and video compression, which enables the system to support four lines of voice and full-motion videoconferencing.

The Broadcom BCM93300-IP reference design is available today. It comes with schematics, a bill of materials, software and drivers.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a leading developer of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable broadband digital data transmission to the home and within the business enterprise. Using proprietary technologies and advanced design methodologies, the company has designed and developed integrated circuits for some of the most significant broadband communications markets, including the markets for cable set-top boxes, cable modems, high-speed networking products, direct broadcast satellite and terrestrial digital broadcast, and digital subscriber line (xDSL). Broadcom is based in Irvine, California, and can be contacted at 949/450-8700 or at http://www.broadcom.com.