Singapore - 6 July 2006 - StarHub, Singapore's second largest info-communications provider, and Motorola, Inc, (NYSE: MOT), the global communications leader and a pioneer in developing channel-bonding solutions for Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) networks today announced that the companies will work together to establish a DOCSIS® 3.0 Center of Excellence for Asia which will be based in Singapore.
The center will be used to support deployments of channel-bonding technology based on the proposed DOCSIS® 3.0 specification, as well as serve as a knowledge hub to other operators in Asia that are looking to bring ultra-broadband access capabilities into their cable networks using channel-bonding technology.
The proposed DOCSIS® 3.0 specification, currently in development, is an open standard that will allow cable operators to optimize their high-speed data transmission more efficiently. Channel bonding technology enables a cable operator to bond multiple physical network channels into a single, virtual, high-bandwidth channel. StarHub is currently upgrading its broadband HFC cable network to be compliant with the proposed DOCSIS® 3.0 specification, which will provide ultra-broadband access capabilities up to 100Mbps. StarHub will be the first operator in the world to rollout channel-bonding technology nation-wide.
StarHub plans to launch a public trial soon for its consumers to surf the Internet at up to 100Mbps. A commercial launch is targeted for the second half of 2006.
"The strong relationship between Motorola and StarHub is a key factor for our on-going business expansion in Asia. Once the deployment of our channel-bonding platform in StarHub's cable network is completed, we are confident that Singapore will become a technology showcase for other similar initiatives in Asia," said Dan Moloney, President, Motorola Connected Home Solutions. "The formation of the Center of Excellence is designed to help other operators in the region understand the challenges and benefits of the new technology and how they can better optimize their own networks."
Motorola is a leader in contributing to the current channel-bonding specification, which is part of the proposed DOCSIS® 3.0 standard currently in development by CableLabs®, an initiative that StarHub strongly believes will propel Singapore's broadband access speeds forward.
Said Thomas Ee, senior vice president of IP Services, StarHub, "StarHub sees technology support as a critical component in ensuring that our overall service attributes are of a high quality. As the first operator in the world to upgrade its network with channel-bonding technology nation-wide, we believe that our experience will be useful for the forthcoming rollout of the technology in Asia. In addition, this planned initiative will not only help the local broadband IT industry by boosting new skill sets for IT professionals here, but will also elevate Singapore's role as it will become a key contributor in the overall development of cable broadband technology in the region."
Beyond the near term provision of up to 100Mbps broadband speeds to residential homes in Singapore, both Motorola and StarHub are looking into enhancing the channel-bonding platform to potentially reach up to 1Gbps within the next two to three years.
