Microtune's RF Technology Continues to Establish Industry Firsts in Latest DOCSIS Certification Wave
PLANO, Texas--April 1, 2002--Microtune(TM), Inc.-- Microtune's RF Technology Implemented in Nine Cable Modems
Awarded DOCSIS Certification, including the Industry's First
DOCSIS 1.1 Qualifications for DOCSIS 2.0-Based Cable Modems
and a Cable Modem Deploying a Single-Chip Silicon Tuner
Consistent with its strategy of advancing RF technology in the next wave of cable broadband communications, Microtune(TM), Inc. today announced that the first DOCSIS 2.0-based cable modems have achieved DOCSIS 1.1 certification using Microtune's RF products. Two newly certified cable modems, developed by Terayon, are designed to the 2.0 extension of the DOCSIS specification, enabling videoconferencing, peer-to-peer networking, web hosting and on-line gaming. Representing the next-stage evolution of cable broadband interactivity, DOCSIS 2.0 permits cable operators to generate revenues from powerful new residential and business networking services.
Setting another industry first, Samsung Electronics' cable modem, deploying Microtune's MicroTuner(TM) MT2040 solid-state tuner, MicroStreamer(TM) MT1530 upstream amplifier and MT1230 intermediate frequency amplifier, was also certified to the DOCSIS 1.1 standard in CableLabs(R) Certification Wave 21. The Samsung award represents the first and only time a cable modem based on a true single-chip tuner has achieved DOCSIS 1.1 certification. This RF technology is derived from Microtune's patented silicon tuner and amplifier architectures, which today are protected by more than 13 patents and multiple pending applications.
Additionally, cable modems from Askey, Arris and one other company achieved DOCSIS 1.1 certification in this wave, while two modems from Motorola and one from Linksys were qualified to DOCSIS 1.0. These cable modems deployed Microtune's RF tuner and/or amplifier technology.
"Our technology-leading RF solutions continue to advance the state of the cable industry, and we applaud Terayon and Samsung for their certification success, along with the other companies that achieved qualification using our tuners and transceivers," explained Douglas J. Bartek, Chairman and CEO of Microtune. "In combination with our roadmap for the future, our sophisticated, patented RF technology enables customers to quickly deploy high-quality interoperable cable access products across the evolving DOCSIS standards."
"These customers also testify to the fact that worldwide manufacturers moving into high-volume production confidently rely on Microtune, knowing that our core RF technology is market proven and manufacturable," Mr. Bartek added. "We enable our customers to meet their discriminating performance, power and quality metrics, while delivering the robustness and reliability they require in real world environments."
Microtune's RF silicon products are engineered to allow customers to move quickly from design and certification into manufacturing. Critical for manufacturers, Microtune's RF silicon technology provides a cost-effective solution that eliminates the performance problems that have plagued competing silicon tuner chip sets. These include microphonics, which can cause a loss of signal, and electrical spikes, which can damage the cable modem. At approximately 1 1/2 watts, Microtune's single-chip tuner is also engineered to deliver superior reliability across the ambient temperatures required in cable modems.
With this most recent CableLabs certification activity, Microtune's silicon and systems technology continues to dominate the RF market in DOCSIS 1.0-, DOCSIS 1.1-, and now DOCSIS 2.0-based, cable access products. To date, Microtune has provided the RF tuner solution in one or more models for 40 of the 65 companies that have been awarded DOCSIS or EuroDOCSIS certification, representing more than sixty percent of the certified suppliers.
ABOUT MICROTUNE
Microtune, Inc. is a leading silicon and systems company that designs, manufactures and markets radio frequency (RF)-based solutions for the global broadband communications, automotive electronics and wireless connectivity markets. Inventors of the MicroTuner(TM) single-chip broadband tuner, the Company offers a portfolio of advanced tuner, amplifier, transceiver and wireless products that enable the delivery of information and entertainment across new classes of consumer electronics devices. The Company currently holds fourteen U.S. patents for its technology, with an additional 42 applications pending approval that span its RF and wireless products, containing almost 2000 supporting claims. Founded in 1996, Microtune is headquartered in Plano, Texas, with key design, manufacturing and sales centers located around the world. The web site is www.microtune.com.
EDITORS NOTE:
Microtune, MicroTuner, VideoCaster and MicroStreamer are trademarks of Microtune, Inc. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.