CATV Networks upgrades now sustainable and economical

At last, legacy cable TV networks can be upgraded for full two-way broadband services cheaply and quickly without major construction work .

For years cable network operators have been competing in their core business with satellite transmission of TV and Radio signals. While terrestrial transmission is almost obsolete due to its limited number of channels, this will change with the introduction of digital terrestrial broadcasts. With increasing options for digital storage and transmission of speech, films and music, new broadband access network technologies threaten the cable operator's business; for example telecommunication companies increasingly offer services like "Video on demand" via DSL.
In the face of this fierce competition cable network operators are keen to upgrade their present networks to an interactive two-way medium. "Upgrading" means offering their clients numerous additional TV and radio programmes, and also value-added services like Internet, Telephone or interactive services ("Triple-Play").

Currently, the prime technology for upgrading cable networks is Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) Technology. Here, much of the existing coaxial infrastructure is replaced with new components and optical fibre links in order to increase network capacity. Upgrading to the HFC Technology means investments for additional devices and considerable civil engineering costs for the installation of fibre optical cable. Naturally network operators would like to keep their existing infrastructure and exploit the full capacity without additional cabling by using innovative solutions.

Such a solution has been developed by ENERVATION GmbH with the support of ECHO Broadband GmbH. The "DigitalCoax System" will be presented for the first time at the ANGA Cable 2004 Exhibition. Using the "DigitalCoax System ",in a 450 MHz cable network the full range of Triple-Play Services and Radio and TV programmes can be offered without the need to exchange amplifiers or lay optical cables. This approach allows a demand led partial upgrade of the network with minimum initial investment.

To achieve this a new "ActivNode" module and modified diplexers are added to the existing amplifier points to provide the additional forward and return paths. The first modules are designed for the German BK technology standard and can be fitted without structural alteration in these amplifier stations. Additional modules for other markets using different technologies are already at an advanced stage of development.

To design the "DigitalCoax System" scalable for future demand, a network and market analysis needs to be undertaken to gauge the potential accessible clients and to plan the upgrade stages. Here ENERVATION has chosen a competent partner in ECHO Broadband GmbH. The latter has a technical design centre located in Bonn with a successful track record in network upgrade planning and engineering.

The "DigitalCoax System" is offered as a complete upgrade solution based on the joint developments and experience of both companies. A turnkey package is available for potential clients to implement the "DigitalCoax System" both economically and efficiently in their business environment.

Please visit the ECHO Broadband GmbH and ENERVATION GmbH stand F8 in hall 13.1, to get a more detailed picture of the "DigitalCoax System".

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