MaxOnline customers can
expect to experience faster broadband speeds of up to 100Mbps by 2H 2006;
Plans underway to further upgrade broadband speeds up to 1Gbps, in the next
two to three years
Singapore, 30 March 2006 – StarHub, Singapore’s integrated info
communications provider, today announced that the upgrade of its broadband
hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) cable network to a DOCSIS® 3.0-compatible
architecture is underway, paving the way to higher broadband speeds for its
customers in the second half of 2006.
MaxOnline customers will be able to experience broadband speeds of up to
100Mbps through the upgrade made possible through StarHub’s current technology
partner, Motorola, the global communications leader and a pioneer in developing
channel-bonding solutions for HFC networks. Singapore will be the first country
in Asia-Pacific to have a nation-wide DOCSIS® 3.0-compatible broadband network
commercially available. The proposed DOCSIS® 3.0 specification is an open
standard that will allow cable operators to optimise their high-speed data
distribution more efficiently. Channel bonding technology enables a cable
operator to bond multiple physical network channels into a single, virtual,
high-bandwidth channel.
“With the evolving demands for more multimedia online content, network storage,
and increasing convergence of PC and TV devices, like that of the Microsoft
Windows XP Media Centre Edition 2005, we expect growing demand for higher
speeds to continue, and perhaps to accelerate over the next few years,” said
Thomas Ee, Senior Vice President of IP Services, StarHub. “This upgrade with
Motorola will ensure that our broadband network continues to stay ahead of the
demand, providing our customers with a smooth, seamless transition to greater
broadband speeds, should they require it in the future.”
“Motorola’s strong, ongoing relationship with StarHub is especially important
at this time, when the growing popularity of bandwidth intensive broadband
services are driving the need for technologies such as channel bonding,” said
Charles Dougherty, Motorola corporate vice president and general manager,
Connected Home Solutions. “With this deployment, StarHub is establishing itself
as a leader in delivering rich, immersive experiences to its customers over a
robust, next-generation network architecture.”
Motorola has been 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®. CableLabs is a non-profit research and development
consortium (and the standards body for DOCSIS that is dedicated to pursuing new
cable telecommunications technologies and to helping cable operator members
integrate those technical advancements into their business objectives.
In addition to the current upgrade, StarHub is already looking at future plans
to continue to enhance the broadband cable network to 1Gbps in two to three
years’ time, as the channel-bonding platform is able to scale even further. The
enhancements are expected to be implemented gradually and cost-effectively over
the next few years, requiring minimal equipment upgrades, over StarHub's
existing broadband HFC cable network.
Currently, StarHub’s MaxOnline service allows subscribers to enjoy always-on,
unlimited broadband access to the Internet at high download speeds of up to
2Mbps, 6.5Mbps and 30Mbps. As at 31 December 2005, StarHub has 277,000
MaxOnline subscribers.
About StarHub
StarHub is Singapore’s second largest
info-communication company and the sole operator delivering a full range of
information, communications and entertainment services over fixed, cable,
mobile and Internet platforms. StarHub operates a 3G mobile network in addition
to its GSM network, and is the exclusive provider of the i-mode mobile Internet
service over its 2.5G and 3G networks. StarHub also operates its own
nation-wide HFC network that delivers multi-channel cable TV services
(including Digital Cable), voice and Internet access for both consumer and
corporate markets. StarHub is listed on the SGX-ST.
Driven by a passion for listening and providing what customers want, StarHub endeavours
to bring affordable and premium quality services with innovative and useful
features to all its customers. StarHub raises the level of competition in
Singapore, challenging others as well as itself, to constantly introduce new
world-class services at competitive prices. This unwavering commitment will
further strengthen Singapore’s position as a leading info-communication hub in
the region.
Visit www.starhub.com for all your communication needs.
Source: Motorola press release
