Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM) has shed some light on the technology behind a 100 Mbps data service it is delivering over existing coax to customers in multiple dwelling units (MDUs).

J:COM is rolling out the service with new receiver and modem technology from Panasonic that is based on silicon from Entropic Communications.

The platform features Panasonic’s TZ-CLM100 Receiver and TZ-CLM110 Network Controller modem. The receiver houses Entropic’s EN3010 Access Network Controller, and the modem uses the silicon maker’s EN3030 Access chip.

In this scenario, the controller receives data from the optical fiber ONT and passes via the coax network in the MDU. The modem, meanwhile, receives the signal at each tenant unit.

Many cable operators in Asia are in the midst of a broadband speed war with telcos, which are using advanced DSL technology and fiber links to outpace traditional DOCSIS speeds. DOCSIS 3.0, an emerging CableLabs specification, will use channel bonding techniques to product speeds well in excess of 100 Mbps. Some operators, however, are moving ahead with pre-3.0 technologies to address the competition they are facing today.

Rather than tapping multiple in-band channels, the Panasonic-Entropic platform uses a 50 MHz-wide out-of-band channel, producing speeds that leapfrog existing DOCSIS capabilities, Entropic told CED recently.

Entropic is also the sole silicon member of the Multimedia Coax Alliance (MoCA), which is developing technology designed to network content at 270 Mbps over home-based coax.