Sigma Designs (NASDAQ: SIGM), a provider of System-on-Chip (SoC) silicon for home entertainment, control, connectivity and converging multimedia devices, and networking solutions specialist Comtrend announced that Telenet, a major provider of cable broadband in Belgium, will deploy Comtrend's powerline Ethernet adapters, Model PG 9042, which are based on Sigma's HomePlug AV with ClearPath SoC technology.
Telenet will upgrade its previous powerline communications platform by using Comtrend's PG 9042 adapters for use in its interactive digital TV services. According to a press release, after an evaluation process, testing multiple chip vendors' solutions with various products and technologies and extensive testing in both the Telenet labs and in the field, the long list of competitors was narrowed down to only suppliers providing Sigma Designs-based products. Finally, the Comtrend adapter was selected due to its unique offering -- the combination of unprecedented coverage and stability, ability to manage the devices remotely via the TR-069 protocol and Comtrend production and support services.
The remote management on-chip capability via TR-069 offered in the Comtrend PG 9042s using Sigma's chipset was reportedly a key factor in the decision. TR-069 gives the operator the ability to troubleshoot and upgrade firmware remotely in the future. Implementation will result in an improved customer experience, and an overall reduction of service calls, returns and maintenance costs. These remote management capabilities are becoming a mandatory requirement by all major service providers, notes Comtrend.
Related: Comtrend intros BPL, FTTH products
Comtrend's PG 9042 adapters leverage Sigma's CG2210 chipset with ClearPath, which utilizes not only the Phase and Neutral wires, but also the Ground wire, creating multiple transmission and reception channels for overcoming line impairments such as noise, undesired filtering effects of surge protectors, and high attenuation when working over multi-phase power networks. The results are overall throughput improvement, higher robustness and better coverage, all essential in providing superior carrier grade services to multiple TVs.
"Sigma Designs is a strategic partner for Comtrend and our Home Networking product portfolio," says Frank Chuang, Comtrend's vice president of marketing. "The CG2210 chipset with ClearPath is the most technically superior solution on the market, giving our PG 9042s Ethernet Adapter a clear advantage for our customers in terms of signal quality."
Related: New powerline adapters boost data transfer rate to 600 Mbps