Volume Shipments To Major Cable Operators Position RCA Brand Digital Cable Modem In Leadership Role For Industry Deployment AT&T Broadband & Internet Services, Comcast, Jones, InterMedia Among MSOs Receiving Digital High-Speed, 2-Way Modem
Thomson Consumer Electronics' RCA DCM1OS digital cable modem continues to set the pace for industry application with over 65,000 units shipped to major cable operators including AT&T Broadband & Internet Services, Comcast Communications, ones Intercable, and InterMedia Partners. The first major deployment of RCA DCM105 modems was an order for AT&T Broadband, formerly TCLNET, followed by separate major shipments to multiple Comcast, Jones, and InterMedia systems. Additional shipments have been dispatched to other cable operators including Insight Communications, Cablevision Systems, and Century Communications. ""The rapid production ramp-up and customer response to the RCA DCM105 have been nothing short of remarkable,"" said Carl Bruhn, General Manager, RCA Broadband Products. ""These large-volume orders position us extremely well versus the competition in the deployment of interoperable systems that address the growing consumer demand for high-speed Internet access."" The RCA DCM105 provides two-way Internet access to PC users at speeds some 50 times faster than a 28.8 Kbps telephone modem. It is designed for use in home, small office, and educational settings and operates through existing cable N networks. Unlike telephone modems, digital cable modems are always connected and do not require redialing to a service provider. An additional advantage to consumers is that the digital cable modem does not tie up telephone lines during Internet surfing since the connection is two-way via cable. ""The RCA DCMo05 has delivered impressive performance during our lab and field trial testing phase, and we look forward to working with Thomson and other manufacturers on the successful deployment of digital cable modems to our subscriber base,"" said AT&T Broadband's Susan Marshall, Senior Vice President- Advanced Products. Thomson plans to leverage the retail strength of its RCA brand to make digital cable modems available to consumers in select retail markets nationwide. The CableLabs certification process assures the interoperability of digital cable products with various cable systems throughout the country, removing many barriers to retail distribution. ""We selected the RCA DCM-OS digital cable modem for several of our DOCSIS market launches,"" said Richard Rasmus, Vice President, Comcast Online. ""The Thomson modem is proving to be a solid performer for our customers. We are quite pleased with the product and level of support Thomson has provided us in our initial deployments."" Further demonstration of the RCA DCM105ís reliable performance is the achievement of @HomeÆ Network Level 2 approval. Content providers such as @Home and RoadrunnerÆ provide access to rich media content including news clips, music videos, interactive gaming, and much more via rapid connections to digital cable modems such as the RCA DCM105. In addition, the Level 2 approval enhances the DCM105's implementation of key data networking and network management features. ""The RCA DCM105 is delivering the kind of robust performance that our customers demand,"" said Bill Haggarty, Director of Subscription Services for InterMedia Partners, ""and the Thomson team has been very responsive to our technical and product needs."" Thomson has made substantial investments over the past two years in digital technologies to serve the emerging new services needs of the cable industry including the development of new products that will redefine the speed and convenience of Internet applications. The company has manufactured and shipped over six million decoder/receivers worldwide from its Juarez, Mexico, digital manufacturing facility. For more information, contact Dave Arland, ArlandD@tce.com or visit the Web site www.rca.com.