A trio of cable-modem vendors will be providing the Internet-protocol voice
link for Comcast Corp. customers in Philadelphia.
After filling in the details for the headend and voice-gateway gear earlier
this summer, the MSO provided the last piece of the puzzle with the
customer-premises equipment.
It tabbed Arris, Terayon Communication Systems Inc. and Motorola Inc. to
supply the IP voice-enabled modems for the rollout, set for the second quarter
of 2003.
All of the modems provide two lines of voice and Ethernet and
universal-serial-bus ports to connect other computer devices.
The Arris 'Touchstone' telephony modem is Data Over Cable Service Interface
Specification 1.1-certified, while the Motorola 'SURFboard SBV4200' and the
Terayon 'TA 102' embedded multimedia-terminal-adapter unit are DOCSIS
1.1-compliant.
Arris is also providing its 'Cadent C4' cable-modem-termination-system units
for the Philadelphia rollout, while Motorola has provided modems for Comcast's
IP-telephony trial in Detroit.
Terayon, meanwhile, adds an element of advanced-physical-layer technology to
the mix -- its modem is also based on DOCSIS 2.0, a new specification that can
expand upstream capacity and clear up signal-interference
problems.
