CableNET® 2000. What’s Next.

This year’s CableNET® technology exhibit, co-sponsored by Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs®) and The California Cable Television Association, showcased What’s Next. for cable’s broadband technology. The demonstration area included 73 companies showcasing more than 100 different applications in six specialty areas, including Interactive TV, Broadband Horizon, Broadband Phone, Enhanced Digital Services, In-Home Networking, and Network Management.

CableNET® was part of The Western Show, which took place November 28th through December 1st at the Los Angeles Convention Center. With over 32,000 attendees, The Western Show this year included two dozen sessions and numerous workshops and roundtables, in addition to an exposition featuring more than 350 exhibitors.

As a major educational exhibit for Western Show attendees, CableNET® serves as a technology showcase for applications and services that cable operators may deliver to their customers in the coming year or two. Leading vendors in the telecommunications industry demonstrate these next applications and services running over a cable network.

"CableNET® provides an excellent venue for these vendors to demonstrate their companies’ broadband-focused technologies," said Dr. Richard R. Green, CableLabs’ President and CEO. As part of inclusion in CableNET®, each company is required to participate in an integration process, which provides exhibitors with the opportunity to work out any operational and interoperability issues prior to the show. "This process has proven to be invaluable in making CableNET® the success it has been over the past eight years," Green added.

Interactive television was highlighted in panel discussions and interviews throughout The Western Show. Industry leaders, such as Dr. John C. Malone, Chairman of Liberty Media, Dan Somers, President and CEO of AT&T Broadband, and Paul Allen, Chairman of Charter Communications, agreed that interactive television will become a major source of revenue for cable operators.

In the CableNET® showcase, the Interactive TV exhibits focused on interoperability between removable security point-of-deployment (POD) modules and set-top boxes. Demonstrations also included advanced digital applications that would be enabled by CableLabs’ OpenCable™ Applications Platform (OCAP), as well as broadband applications and services that enhance consumers’ home viewing experience.

There were 22 Interactive TV exhibits from companies including: Broadcom Corporation, Commerce.TV, Envivio, Exent Technologies, ICTV Inc., Keen Personal Media, Margi Systems, Microsoft Corporation, Navic Systems Inc. (with two demonstrations), NDS, OpenTV Inc., Panasonic AVC American Labs, RespondTV, Scientific Atlanta Inc. (with two demonstrations), SeaChange International, SpotOn, Sun Microsystems Inc., Triveni Digital Inc., and WorldGate (with two demonstrations).

Seven demonstrations were included in the Broadband Horizon area, which highlighted technologies currently in development for the hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network. Companies included: Broadcom Corporation, Canon Information Systems Inc., Harmonic Inc., Intel Corporation, Microtune Inc., QBeo, Inc., and TeraLogic Inc.

Twelve exhibits in the Broadband Phone area concentrated on displaying products identifying, qualifying, and supporting Internet-based voice and video products over cable systems. Companies included in this area were: ADC, Ambit Microsystems Corporation, AP Engines, Future Networks Inc., Nortel Networks, Philips Electronics, Samsung Telecommunications America Inc., Telcordia Technologies, Terayon Communication Systems, Texas Instruments, TollBridge Technologies, and Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.

There were 27 demonstrations in the Enhanced Digital Services area, which displayed cable modems, digital video, e-commerce, or innovative technologies that enhance broadband technology. Companies included: Broadcom Corporation (with four demonstrations), Cisco Systems Inc., ClearBand LLC, Conexant Systems Inc., Dream Logic Inc., Elsa Ag, Ericsson Inc., Go2Broadband (a service of CableLabs), IBM, Into Networks, Lucent Technologies, Mindport Inc., Mixed Signals Technologies Inc., Net & Sys Co Ltd., Nortel Networks, Pace Micro Technology PLC, Panja, RealNetworks Inc., RiverDelta Networks Inc., Samsung Telecommunications America Inc., Terayon Communication Systems, Texas Instruments, Thomson Consumer Electronics, and Ward Laboratories Inc.

The In-Home Networking area, which focused on technologies designed to distribute broadband delivered content throughout the home, included 10 exhibits from companies including: 3Com Corporation, Adaptive Networks Inc., D-Link Systems Inc., Ericsson Inc., Lucent Technologies, muNet, Inc., Proxim Inc., ShareWave Inc., Texas Instruments, and Vicinium Systems Inc.

Network Management, which included demonstrations of products designed to aid cable operators in the management, control, configuration, and network and services distribution, had 12 demonstrations. The companies in this category included: ADC (formerly Broadband Access Systems), AP Engines, Auspice Inc., Cadant Inc., Emperative Inc., Ixia Communications, Narus, Nortel Networks, Redback Networks Inc., Sigtek Inc., and Spirent Communications (with two demonstrations).

CableNET®’s success also was due in part to companies that provided material and technical support, including: Adelphia, Anixter, Antec TeleWire, Arris Interactive, Auspice, Inc., Broadband Access Systems, Inc. (now ADC), Cisco Systems, CommScope, Lucent Technologies, AT&T Broadband, Motorola Broadband Communications Sector, Mountain Cable Industries, NetSpeak, RoadRunner, Scientific-Atlanta, Telecrafter Products, Terayon, Thomson Consumer Electronics (RCA), West Coast Optical, Inc.

Plans already are underway for next year’s CableNET® 2001 exhibit with the development of a Request for Proposal (RFP). CableNET® 2001 will be co-sponsored by CableLabs and the CCTA, and will be part of CCTA’s The Western Show, which will be held in Anaheim, California, November 27 through November 30, 2001. The RFP will be posted to the CableNET® Web site (www.cablenet.org) within the next few months.

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This year’s CableNET® exhibit at The Western Show, co-sponsored by CableLabs and the CCTA, occupied 10,000 square feet at the Los Angeles Convention Center and held 73 exhibitors with over 100 display areas.