14 DAY TRIAL // The Internet-over-cable business is losing popularity on a daily basis with the advent of the new optical fiber options. More and more cable providers are trying to find a viable solution to improve network speeds without simply replacing the cable infrastructure with optical fiber backbones. The upcoming DOCSIS 3.0 specifications seem to promise a lot of improvements, but customers will hardly rely on that until they see the results.
Rim Semiconductor does not accept the idea of a gloomy DLS-over-copper market and has geared up to demonstrate one of its own technologies that is alleged to bring unmatched speeds inside the subscribers' homes. These "unmatched" speeds have not been exactly quantified yet as of the moment of writing, but the company announced that its upcoming Cupria processor can deliver data at rates of 40 megabits per second (Mpbs) over a distance of 1.67km via a 26AWG (0.40mm) telephone wire.
Another document claims that the Cupria can pump data at 26 Mbps over a 1.8 Km cable. Although it's not a technological breakthrough in data transfer, it is still way over the current offerings from AT&T or Comcast.
"Bandwidth capacity must support the multimedia home with triple-play services totaling 25 to 30 Mbps. This rate must be delivered across a cost-effective length of copper reach within the CSA. Cupria's 26Mbps at 6Kfeet will satisfy this equation of bandwidth payload and QoS versus network cost," reads the press release.
It is difficult to estimate the product's efficiency by looking at some mere experiments, but Rim Semiconductor is ready to demonstrate its Cupria product to miscellaneous networking device manufacturers. If the company manages to deliver real and working solutions, ADSL-service providers will be able to deliver faster network speeds at lower costs, and thus, to keep the broadband business spinning.