Wideband Upstream Amplifier Completes Microtune’s DOCSIS 3.0 RF Solution Offering

The tuner and amplifier constitute the two-way RF gateway for DOCSIS 3.0 downstream and upstream channel-bonded communications. By providing a cost-effective solution for bonding together four upstream channels, the MT1570 completes Microtune’s DOCSIS 3.0 front-end product offering. With its tuner and amplifier portfolio, the Company offers the only one-stop, all-silicon DOCSIS 3.0 RF solutions in production today.

When integrated into cable subscriber equipment, the new MT1570 upstream amplifier can be matched with any combination of Microtune’s high-performance wideband and narrowband tuners for a flexible DOCSIS 3.0 RF silicon solution. They can be designed into single- or multi-tuner configurations to produce scalable data and IP video pipelines for four-by-four, eight-by-four and larger downstream/upstream solutions. This capability translates into triple-digit speeds from 160-Mbps to 320-Mbps downstream and 120-Mbps upstream. Additional channels can be added to permit cable operators to scale DOCSIS 3.0 services for unique business models and channel allocation plans, while at the same time, supporting legacy cable networks and services.

Microtune products are engineered to significantly reduce the required footprint, power consumption and RF bill of materials cost to achieve unprecedented DOCSIS 3.0 performance. As building-block, future-ready technology, they enable cost-effective implementation of DOCSIS 3.0 cable services, including ultra high-speed data, Internet-Protocol (IP) voice, fast high-definition video-on-demand downloads/uploads, interactive on-line gaming, Internet Protocol (IP) TV video and new commercial services for businesses.

“As DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts begin in the worldwide cable market, our customers are telling us that cable operators are looking for flexible DOCSIS 3.0 implementations,” said James A. Fontaine, Microtune’s President and CEO. “As a result, our customers are designing customer premises equipment that addresses varying DOCSIS 3.0 deployment and service scenarios. They require a broad portfolio of RF solutions to develop a family of DOCSIS 3.0 products, from ultra high-speed data modems to IPTV set-top boxes and high-end gateways. With our combination of wideband/narrowband technologies, we are uniquely positioned to provide them the most advanced, cost-effective and agile RF solutions available, no matter how they decide to implement DOCSIS 3.0.”

“Texas Instruments’ alliance with Microtune provides cable technology manufacturers with the flexibility to develop high-performance DOCSIS 3.0 products that meet the varied voice, video and data demands of consumer and enterprise markets,” said Ran Senderovitz, Texas Instruments’ Digital Connected Home business manager. “Combined with Microtune’s wideband and narrowband tuners and their new upstream amplifier, TI’s industry-leading Puma 5 family of hardware and software solutions support a wide-range of products from DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems to flexible multi-tuner data and video gateway solutions.”

“As broadband-connected households around the world consume increasing amounts of bandwidth, Internet service providers are being pressured to upgrade their networks,” according to Mike Paxton, an analyst at In-Stat, a leading technology research firm. “Most cable TV operators are counting on DOCSIS 3.0-certified equipment to support their next-generation of high-speed Internet services. Microtune’s new wideband tuner and upstream amplifier solution provides cable OEMs with a single-source DOCSIS 3.0 RF front-end that will help cable operators meet the demand for high-bandwidth data and video services.”

The MT1570 is a highly linear RF amplifier chip for DOCSIS 3.0 upstream channel-bonded communications. (Channel bonding is a DOCSIS 3.0 bandwidth expansion technique that combines multiple channels to significantly increase data rates.) The MT1570 amplifies four data channels from the user device to the cable head-end. Specifically designed to meet the stringent transmit-noise and linearity requirements of the DOCSIS 3.0 specification, it quadruples upstream data rates to 120 Mbps.

The MT1570 also offers excellent distortion performance and output-noise performance. It provides for increased reliability, quality and integrity of bandwidth-intensive upstream data, whether formatted as video, voice or data.

For consumers, these technical parameters translate into decreased upload time, reduced latency in voice-over-IP calls and increased service reliability. Integrated into a very small 5mm x 5mm QFN 20-pin package, the MT1570 provides backward compatibility and coexistence with legacy DOCSIS equipment. It eliminates the requirement for new cable infrastructure investment, providing a cost-effective, low-power strategy to DOCSIS 3.0 and beyond. A MT1570 Product Brief is available on Microtune’s website.

“We pride ourselves in being the performance and market leader in silicon TV tuners, as evidenced by the fact that we have already shipped more than 112 million MicroTuner™ tuner chips,” said Mr. Fontaine. “Our upstream amplifier products are as industry-hardened as our silicon TV tuner technology. In fact, to date we have shipped more than 62 million broadband amplifier chips to our brand-leading OEM customers.”