Thomson said it now has available its new channel-bonding cable modem, the DCM465. The modem, which achieved DOCSIS 2.0 certification last May, will support downstream data rates of up to 100 Mbps by relying on DOCSIS 3.0 functionality.
The DOCSIS 3.0 features include up to 100 Mbps download speed, IP Multicast, and Layer-2 VPN, as well as support for the IPv6 protocol.
The new modem is based on Broadcom’s BCM3381 chipset, which is compatible with both DOCSIS 2.0 and 3.0 infrastructure.
With each revision of the DOCSIS standard, modems have been available before CMTS equipment. It is typical to introduce modems that remain compatible with the previous generation of CMTS gear, so that modems can be installed in the field in preparation for the introduction of each subsequent generation of CMTSs.
Thomson quoted ABI Research saying that penetration of DOCSIS 3.0 will reach nearly 60 percent for in-use CMTSs in 2011, and penetration for the larger installed base of CPE will reach just under 40 percent in 2011.
