CableNET® '98 RFP Issued; Focus on Interoperable Services
CableLabs Chairman Dr. John C. Malone,
center, makes a point during the opening general session of the recent Society
of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) Tec-Expo convention in Denver.
The session focused on CableLabs past, present, and future, and panelists
offered insights into what the future may hold with regard to technology.
Panelists from left are: Moderator, Tom Southwick of Cable World magazine;
CableLabs Board of Director Emeritus and "Father of CableLabs"
Richard S. Leghorn; Malone; CableLabs Board of Directors member Trygve Myhren;
and CableLabs President and CEO Dr. Richard R. Green. During the session,
Malone, Leghorn, and Green received plaques from the CableLabs Board of
Directors honoring them for their service to CableLabs.
CableLabs President and CEO Dr. Richard
R. Green, left, presents a plaque to Richard S. Leghorn, CableLabs Board
member Emeritus and the officially designated "Father of CableLabs."
The award was bestowed on behalf of the CableLabs Board of Directors for
Leghorn's hard work in helping to plan and successfully launch CableLabs.
The award was given June 10 during the Society of Cable Telecommunications
Engineers Tec-Expo in Denver.
ableLabs® and the California Cable Television Association
(CCTA) have issued a request for proposal (RFP) for participation in the
CableNET '98 demonstration.
CableNET '98, an integrated demonstration showing the power of the cable industry's hybrid fiber/coaxial (HFC) network, will be on display exclusively at the Western Cable Show in Anaheim, California, December 2-4, 1998. Additionally, there is an extensive presence on the World Wide Web at www.cablenet.org.
CableNET '98 seeks to build upon the cable industry's aggressive efforts to obtain interoperable advanced digital set-top boxes
under the OpenCable initiative. It is expected that manufacturers of interoperable cable modems, and companies participating in PacketCable, will participate as well.
The deadline for filing responses on CableNET '98 participation is July 16.
CableNET demonstrations maintain an educational approach fostered by CableLabs and the CCTA. CableNET '98 will focus on the services and applications that cable operators may deliver to consumers via HFC telecommunications networks.
The CableNET '98 RFP specifically seeks services, applications, and hardware and software that are already either current cable/computer industry technology, under market trial, or are no more than one year away from deployment.
Areas of interest include new methods of digitizing video, video-on-demand, interoperable advanced digital set-top boxes, such as those being produced under the OpenCable initiative; high-speed data services using DOCSIS modems, including on-line information services and multimedia services terminating on computers. Also of interest are Internet applications, either in software or hardware form; delivery of telephone service, either wireline or wireless, and cablecommuting; voice over Internet Protocol; and video-conferencing using Internet Protocol.
Other areas that organizers will consider are new Internet appliances; interactive services that terminate on television monitors including, but not limited to, near-video-on-demand and video-on-demand; network management, advanced (digital) television, HDTV, and electronic commerce and transactions.
In addition, any content offering, service application or Internet appliance that offers access, that is accessible or that is being designed to be accessible via a broadband connection to the World Wide Web, should also consider participating in CableLabs' ongoing Technology Tracking project (www.cablelabs.com/techtrans.html). This project makes emerging technologies available to CableLabs members on an ongoing basis beyond the CableNET '98 exhibit at the Western Show.
