NETGEAR and BigBand Networks succeed in channel bonding integration for faster broadband access

The move is designed to combine multiple downstream cable modem channels for higher broadband access speeds.

"With increasing competition between service providers to provide the fastest Internet access, NETGEAR and BigBand Networks are providing timely solutions for the cable industry to achieve downstream speeds of 100 megabits per second or more,"

said Ahmad Zeidan, Channel Sales Manager, NETGEAR Middle East.

"This integration highlights our companies' dedication to enabling technologies like channel bonding through standards-based interoperability between best-of-breed components from multiple vendors like the BigBand modular CMTS solution and the NETGEAR CM232 Channel Bonding Cable Modem. The integrated solutions are now available across markets in the Middle East, where the fast-growing cable industry is increasingly receptive to breakthrough technology solutions."

Based on emerging DOCSIS standards from Cable Labs, channel bonding practices have the potential to increase broadband subscribers' downstream access speeds by factors ranging from 2 to 20 or more. NETGEAR and BigBand Networks are leveraging their respective strengths in open customer premises equipment and carrier network infrastructure to achieve an end-to-end channel bonding solution based on these standards.

The companies have integrated the NETGEAR CM232 Channel Bonding Cable Modem with a modular CMTS (cable modem termination system) solution that combines the BigBand Cuda® CMTS and BigBand BME™ (Broadband Multimedia-Service Edge). The M-CMTS approach is designed to enhance cost-effectiveness, density and performance in the head-end by dissociating DOCSIS MAC (media access control) functionality on a CMTS platform from physical QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) functionality on an edge platform.

"We are pleased to partner with a leading innovator of NETGEAR's stature. With the integration of our products for channel bonding, NETGEAR and BigBand Network now offer some of the most advanced capabilities that cable operators can use to economically expand broadband access speeds," said Gil Kaufman, BigBand Networks' executive vice president of worldwide engineering. "The rapid completion of channel bonding integration is testament to the diligent and focused work by the NETGEAR and BigBand Networks engineering teams."

NETGEAR had made its formal foray into the Middle East market in June 2006 with a wide range of networking solutions and services to help small and mid-size businesses and individuals get more out of their businesses. NETGEAR's affordable, easy-to-install security and software products combine reliability with high-performance in a diversity of environments. The company had recently been named as the second leading networking company in the world in terms of number of Gigabit Ethernet ports and Wi-Fi nodes shipped.

NETGEAR had recently appointed Ashley LLC as the official distributor for its networking products and solutions in the UAE and in the Middle East. Ashley will stock the full range of NETGEAR products, including its wireless series for the retail, end-consumer and Small Office and Home Office (SOHO) segment.