DataView eases network traffic jam

A cable modem product introduced by First Pacific Networks last week gives carriers a way to avoid bandwidth congestion by dynamically allocating spectrum, depending on consumer demand.

The DataView cable modem is designed to work with the company's FPN1000 system, an end-to-end solution to deliver telephony and data over the hybrid fiber/coax network. Network operators can control the percentage of bandwidth dedicated to telephony and to cable by simply adjusting the software at the headend or central office, said James Bletas, vice president of sales and marketing at FPN.

Layering data on top of a telephony-over-cable service entails providing the customer with a DataView modem and adding a network interface card to the FPN1000 system, Bletas said. The next generation DataView offering will be an integrated product that lets carriers provision voice, video and data-as well as energy management-from a single box, he said.

Pricing for the DataView modem will be around $500, Bletas said. FPN will begin beta tests of the product later this year and will make it commercially available to existing national and international customers in the spring.