Alaska's GCI will be the first broadband provider to tap certified Data Over
Cable Service Interface Specification 1.1 cable gear, signing a deal with
Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. to supply its 'PCX 2500' cable
modems.
GCI provides a combination of long distance, local phone, Internet, satellite
and cable services in the Klondike State.
It will start taking shipment of the Toshiba modems in the first quarter of
2002 and offer tiered service for residential and business customers.
GCI will also buy DOCSIS 1.1-certified cable-modem-termination system gear
provided by Cadant Inc. Cadant is in the process of being acquired by Arris
Interactive LLC, which is the only other holder of a DOCSIS 1.1-certified CMTS
unit.
DOCSIS 1.1 adds quality-of-service and data prioritization to cable-modem
systems, allowing operators to offer telephony and tiered data services.
But with just four products certified by Cable Television Laboratories Inc.
in the first testing wave -- modems from Toshiba and Texas Instruments Inc., as
well as the Cadant and Arris CMTS units -- cablers have not exactly leaped at
signing large purchase orders, preferring instead to continue testing.
Meanwhile, CableLabs is expected this week to announce the results of the
second DOCSIS 1.1 testing round, which may yield additions to the certification
list.
